The persistence of mood disorders following traumatic brain injury: a 1 year follow-up.
The study investigated whether the frequency of mood disorders following traumatic brain injury (TBI) increased with time. Consecutive hospital admissions completed the Wimbledon Self-Report Scale at 6 and 12 months post-injury. Scores in the 'borderline/case' range were deemed clinically significant. Seventy-seven of those assessed at 6 months completed the 12 month follow-up. Those lost to follow-up (22) were not more likely to have been classified 'borderline/case' at 6 months. They were more likely to have been 'unoccupied' pre-injury (p=0.002). The frequency of clinically significant disorders did not change significantly, being 39% at 6 months and 35% 1 year post-injury. The majority of subjects (58) maintained the same clinical classification at both assessments. Eight of the 47 (17%) classified 'normal' at 6 months changed to 'borderline/case' at 12 months. However, 11 of the 30 (37%) classified 'borderline/case' at 6 months were 'normal' at 12 months. The direction of change was not statistically significant (p=0.5). These findings are consistent with previous research. However, the present study examined a larger sample and included a wider range of injury severity, thereby increasing the generalizability of the findings. Also, a broader spectrum of mood disorders was investigated which adds to previous work specifically on depression.
Bowen
A
A
Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Research Unit, University of Leeds, UK. abowen@fs1.ho.man.ac.uk
Chamberlain
M A
MA
Tennant
A
A
Neumann
V
V
Conner
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors