Incidence of post‐stroke depression during the first year in a large unselected stroke population determined using a valid standardized rating scale

This study describes the development of post‐stroke depression (PSD) prospectively during the first year post‐stroke in 285 unselected stroke patients. An appropriate unselected population‐based control group without cerebral pathology is included for comparison. Psychiatric assessment with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) was undertaken unmodified. PSD was defined as HDRS ≥ 13. The one‐year incidence of PSD among the 209 survivors able to communicate reliably at 1 month was 41%. Most cases develop within the first months following stroke (79%), the frequency of new cases of PSD at one year being 5%, a level comparable to that in the control group. Depressed and nondepressed stroke patients consistently scored 4 points greater on total HDRS than in the corresponding controls.