Post – Stroke Depression: A Review

ABSTRACTThe third leading cause of death is stroke, mainly occurred in patients with 50 years or more and it is described as a sudden loss of blood flow to the brain that leads to irreversible tissue damage caused by thrombotic, embolic, or hemorrhagic events. While stroke related psychiatric complications have been recognized for over a century, they have never received the same degree of attention as post stroke motor deficits, language difficulties, or intellectual disturbances. Some of these stroke clinical complications, such as depression and whereas anxiety or emotional liability are other complications. Depression after stroke is associated with a lower quality of life and also with a higher risk of dying. After a stroke, approximately one third of patients experience depression. It’s important to correctly test for and diagnosis post stroke depression, as well as determine the seriousness of the disease. PSD is related to a variety of stroke risk factors and it can be fatal if left untreated. There is good evidence that early initiation of antidepressant treatment is associated with a decreased risk of developing and successful prevention of PSD in non depressed stroke patients. PSD requires special care, and consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of PSD should be achieved. Keywords: Antidepressant, depression, Post stroke depression, Stroke