Antidepressant therapy in post-stroke depression.

BACKGROUND: About 40% of patients with stroke will develop depression at some stage after the acute event. Post-stroke depression (PSD) is associated with a poor prognosis. Depressed patients have more severe deficits in activities of daily living, a worse functional outcome, more severe cognitive deficits and increased mortality as compared to stroke patients without depression.

OBJECTIVE: This review will focus on available controlled trials of treatment for PSD.

METHODS: An unsystematic review of recent studies for the treatment of PSD.

RESULTS: Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the efficacy of sertraline, citalopram and nortriptyline to treat post-stroke depression. Whether antidepressant medication may help to prevent post-stroke depression and decrease post-stroke mortality will require further controlled studies.