Depression Can Delay the Return to Work
70% of stroke victims are said to develop mood disorder

(HealthDay News) -- Depression seems to keep stroke survivors from returning to work almost as often as physical disabilities.

"We know that people who have gone through an illness such as heart attack or stroke have a higher incidence of dysphoria or anxiety after the event," Joanne Festa, an assistant professor of clinical neuropsychiatry at Columbia University, told HealthDay .

"Having an acute illness such as stroke in itself is upsetting. And, of course, with a stroke there is the possibility of cognitive impairment leading to depression. These people should be assessed, and any depression treated," said Festa, who has conducted research on post-stroke depression.

Other studies have found that depression after stroke can occur as often as 70 percent of the time, Festa said.

In developed nations, about 20 percent of stroke victims are still young enough to be part of the workforce, noted Australian researchers who studied the link between stroke, depression and work.

Their study included 210 men and women who averaged 55 years old and had paying jobs before they had a stroke. Within six months, 112 of them had returned to work. Of those who went back to work, 71 percent were rated as physically independent, and 33 percent were diagnosed with post-stroke depression, compared with 45 percent of those who were not back at work six months after their stroke.

Younger people were more likely to have post-stroke depression, and depression was more likely in people who had suffered a severe stroke.

But just 30 percent of all the stroke survivors with depression received treatment for the disorder, the study found.

"Physicians should continually assess patients' mood after a stroke, because it's an important predictor of whether a patient will go back to work," Dr. Nick Glozier, associate principal director of the George Institute for International Health in Sydney, said in a news release.

He also recommended that family members of stroke survivors should watch for signs of depression and notify the person's doctor.

"There is some evidence that antidepressants work in post-stroke depression, and there are indications that we may be able to prevent depression with psychological intervention, such as cognitive behavioral therapy-style motivational interviewing," Glozier said.

On the Web

The National Stroke Association has more about life after a stroke.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Joanne Festa, Ph.D., assistant professor of neuropsychology, Division of Stroke and Critical Care Education, Columbia University, New York City; March 28, 2008, Stroke
Author: Robert Preidt
Publication date: March 31, 2009
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