Too Much and Too Little: Antidepressant Treatment in Stroke Survivors during the First Year

Background: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is the most frequent mental illness after stroke, affecting about 30% of stroke survivors and hampering rehabilitation outcome. While current guidelines recommend monitored antidepressant treatment (ADT) in PSD, the limited precision between the use and need...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Katja Werheid, Matthias Volz, Simon Ladwig, Maree Hackett
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IMR Press 2022-06-01
Series:Journal of Integrative Neuroscience
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.imrpress.com/journal/JIN/21/4/10.31083/j.jin2104108
_version_ 1817971172870979584
author Katja Werheid
Matthias Volz
Simon Ladwig
Maree Hackett
author_facet Katja Werheid
Matthias Volz
Simon Ladwig
Maree Hackett
author_sort Katja Werheid
collection DOAJ
description Background: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is the most frequent mental illness after stroke, affecting about 30% of stroke survivors and hampering rehabilitation outcome. While current guidelines recommend monitored antidepressant treatment (ADT) in PSD, the limited precision between the use and need of ADT in clinical practice remains underassessed and poorly understood. Methods: Depression according to DSM criteria and ADT was assessed in n = 294 stroke survivors from two German rehabilitation centers about one, six, and twelve months after stroke. At each measurement occasion, PSD and current use of ADT was assessed, leading to four subgroups: PSD (yes/no) and ADT (yes/no). Frequencies of ADT and PSD were examined and analyzed with regard to depression severity (minor/major). Intra-individual trajectories were used to assess the persistence in ADT over- and undertreatment from a longitudinal perspective. Results: After one, 6 and 12 months, 36.7%, 31.1% and 25.5% of stroke survivors fulfilled the criteria for depression. Across all measurement occasions, 53% of depressed stroke survivors did not receive ADT, while 12% of the non-depressed did. ADT between stroke survivors with major or minor depression differed at baseline but not thereafter. Between 15–40% of the depressed without ADT experienced persisting undertreatment and 25–50% the non-depressed with ADT had not fulfilled depression criteria at an earlier time point. Conclusions: Depression occurred in one in three stroke survivors. Among these, only one in two received ADT, irrespective of PSD severity after discharge. In contrast, one in eight stroke survivors without depressive disorder received ADT, about half of them in the absence of earlier PSD. In conclusion, we found evidence of both under- and overtreatment of PSD with ADT, which emphasizes the need for a more stringent implementation of current PSD guideline recommendations.
first_indexed 2024-04-13T20:43:11Z
format Article
id doaj.art-220f00101cd448759ff5ae3d3ba3cfc9
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 0219-6352
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T20:43:11Z
publishDate 2022-06-01
publisher IMR Press
record_format Article
series Journal of Integrative Neuroscience
spelling doaj.art-220f00101cd448759ff5ae3d3ba3cfc92022-12-22T02:30:46ZengIMR PressJournal of Integrative Neuroscience0219-63522022-06-0121410810.31083/j.jin2104108S0219-6352(22)00387-4Too Much and Too Little: Antidepressant Treatment in Stroke Survivors during the First YearKatja Werheid0Matthias Volz1Simon Ladwig2Maree Hackett3Department of Psychology, University of Bielefeld, 33501 Bielefeld, GermanyDepartment of Psychology, University of Kassel, 34127 Kassel, GermanyClinic of Neurology, Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann, 14467 Potsdam, GermanyThe George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, 2042 Sydney, AustraliaBackground: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is the most frequent mental illness after stroke, affecting about 30% of stroke survivors and hampering rehabilitation outcome. While current guidelines recommend monitored antidepressant treatment (ADT) in PSD, the limited precision between the use and need of ADT in clinical practice remains underassessed and poorly understood. Methods: Depression according to DSM criteria and ADT was assessed in n = 294 stroke survivors from two German rehabilitation centers about one, six, and twelve months after stroke. At each measurement occasion, PSD and current use of ADT was assessed, leading to four subgroups: PSD (yes/no) and ADT (yes/no). Frequencies of ADT and PSD were examined and analyzed with regard to depression severity (minor/major). Intra-individual trajectories were used to assess the persistence in ADT over- and undertreatment from a longitudinal perspective. Results: After one, 6 and 12 months, 36.7%, 31.1% and 25.5% of stroke survivors fulfilled the criteria for depression. Across all measurement occasions, 53% of depressed stroke survivors did not receive ADT, while 12% of the non-depressed did. ADT between stroke survivors with major or minor depression differed at baseline but not thereafter. Between 15–40% of the depressed without ADT experienced persisting undertreatment and 25–50% the non-depressed with ADT had not fulfilled depression criteria at an earlier time point. Conclusions: Depression occurred in one in three stroke survivors. Among these, only one in two received ADT, irrespective of PSD severity after discharge. In contrast, one in eight stroke survivors without depressive disorder received ADT, about half of them in the absence of earlier PSD. In conclusion, we found evidence of both under- and overtreatment of PSD with ADT, which emphasizes the need for a more stringent implementation of current PSD guideline recommendations.https://www.imrpress.com/journal/JIN/21/4/10.31083/j.jin2104108strokedepressiontreatmentantidepressantsrehabilitationserotonin reuptake inhibitors
spellingShingle Katja Werheid
Matthias Volz
Simon Ladwig
Maree Hackett
Too Much and Too Little: Antidepressant Treatment in Stroke Survivors during the First Year
Journal of Integrative Neuroscience
stroke
depression
treatment
antidepressants
rehabilitation
serotonin reuptake inhibitors
title Too Much and Too Little: Antidepressant Treatment in Stroke Survivors during the First Year
title_full Too Much and Too Little: Antidepressant Treatment in Stroke Survivors during the First Year
title_fullStr Too Much and Too Little: Antidepressant Treatment in Stroke Survivors during the First Year
title_full_unstemmed Too Much and Too Little: Antidepressant Treatment in Stroke Survivors during the First Year
title_short Too Much and Too Little: Antidepressant Treatment in Stroke Survivors during the First Year
title_sort too much and too little antidepressant treatment in stroke survivors during the first year
topic stroke
depression
treatment
antidepressants
rehabilitation
serotonin reuptake inhibitors
url https://www.imrpress.com/journal/JIN/21/4/10.31083/j.jin2104108
work_keys_str_mv AT katjawerheid toomuchandtoolittleantidepressanttreatmentinstrokesurvivorsduringthefirstyear
AT matthiasvolz toomuchandtoolittleantidepressanttreatmentinstrokesurvivorsduringthefirstyear
AT simonladwig toomuchandtoolittleantidepressanttreatmentinstrokesurvivorsduringthefirstyear
AT mareehackett toomuchandtoolittleantidepressanttreatmentinstrokesurvivorsduringthefirstyear