Stroke patients receive no treatment for depression, a large US study has found.
The study published in the Neurology journal measured symptoms of depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, including sociodemographic variables such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, income, health insurance status and marital status.
Scientists looked at 10,243 adult survivors and 264,645 adults without stroke drawn from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey – a US data source analysing the types of health care services Americans use, how frequently they use them and how much they pay for them.
Depression is a common experience for stroke survivors. The team at the School of Public Health analysed temporal trends in outpatient treatment for depression among survivors in the US between 2004 and 2017, focusing on underrepresented sociodemographic groups who are more likely to face treatment gaps and differences in quality of life.
The researchers have found that older, male, non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic stroke survivors were less likely to receive treatment for depression, with two-thirds of stroke patients with depression receiving no outpatient treatment within a year.
“As a leading cause of disability, depression negatively interferes with stroke treatment, impedes stroke recovery and increases mortality risk,” Liming Dong, PhD of the department of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health wrote. “However, depression remains largely under-treated in the stroke population.”
The findings have also shown that sociodemographic factors had an impact on treatment gaps during the analysis.
Linda S. Williams, MD, research scientist with Regenstrief and professor of neurology at Indiana University School of Medicine, said that despite societal changes, a significant number of survivors are still not getting the help and support they need after a stroke.
For support, visit the Stroke Association.
