A two-year longitudinal study of post-stroke mood disorders: findings during the initial evaluation.

A consecutive series of 103 stroke patients capable of undergoing a psychiatric interview were evaluated for mood disorders. Nearly 50% of patients studied in the acute stroke period had clinically significant depressions and one fourth had symptom clusters found in major depressive disorders. We confirmed our previous findings that lesion location is most important in determining frequency and severity of depression. In addition, we have identified other variables including functional physical impairment, intellectual impairment, quality of social support, and age which contribute to or modify depression. Post-stroke depressive disorders are multifactorial in their determination and expression and include both neurophysiological-neurochemical mechanisms and psychological factors in their etiology.