title: Effects of cortical lesion location on psychiatric consultation referral for depressed stroke inpatients.
abstract: Although post-stroke depression occurs with lesions to either cortical hemisphere, increasing evidence supports the view that depression is more prevalent after left hemispheric damage. This retrospective study of depressed post-stroke inpatients referred for psychiatric consultation shows a significantly higher referral rate for patients with right-hemispheric lesions. The results suggest an underutilization of psychiatric consultation to patients with left-sided lesions, and perhaps underrecognition of affective disorders in these patients. Various reasons for this underutilization are proposed, including the greater likelihood of speech impairment in left-sided brain-damaged stroke patients, who may have greater difficulty verbally communicating their psychic distress. Increased physician awareness of the clinical presentations of post-stroke depression will result in more patients benefitting from available treatments.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011570:Psychiatry; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed