title: The effect of post stroke depression on functional outcome and quality of life.
abstract: In spite of being a common and important complication of stroke, post stroke depression is often overlooked, so its impact on stroke outcome remains under recognized. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of depression on functional outcome and quality of life in stroke patients. The study included 60 patients treated for their first clinical stroke, 30 of them diagnosed with depression and 30 patients without depression. Testing was done in all patients two and six weeks after stroke. Depression was diagnosed according to the Mini International Neuropsychiatry Interview, DSM-IV diagnostic criteria, and depression severity was quantified by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale; functional impairment was determined by the Barthel Index; and post stroke quality of life was assessed by the Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaires. The patients with depression had significantly more severe functional disability both at baseline and after rehabilitation treatment, although the potential for functional recovery in depressed patients was less than in non-depressed ones. The quality of life in patients with post stroke depression was impaired more severely in all SF-36 domains compared with non-depressed stroke patients, with the domains of the role of emotional functioning and social relations being most severely affected.
authors.forename: Tamara Rabi
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Žikić
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Divjak
authors.forename: Mirjana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jovićević
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Semnic
authors.forename: Petar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Slankamenac
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Žarkov
authors.forename: Milorad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Žikić
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires