Depression and anxiety following traumatic brain injury

The frequency, course, and clinical correlates of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and its relationship to major depression were examined in 66 patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Of 66 TBI patients, 7 (11%) had both GAD and major depression; 10 (15%) had major depression without GAD. Median duration was 1.5 months for nonanxious depressions, 7.5 months for anxious depressions, and 1.5 months for concurrent GAD. Anxious depressions were also associated with right hemisphere lesions, whereas major depressions alone were associated with left anterior lesions. These findings suggest that anxious major depression and major depression following TBI may be two different disorders with different underlying etiological mechanisms and perhaps differential response to treatment.