Prevalence of post-stroke depression and factors affecting its severity in subacute and late phases of rehabilitation: A study from Chhattisgarh, India

Background: Early antidepressant treatment for post-stroke depression (PSD) appears to enhance both physical and cognitive recovery from stroke. Methods: The current study was a single tertiary healthcare centre-based cross-sectional study conducted to estimate the proportion of subjects with depression amongst post-stroke subjects in Chhattisgarh, India, and evaluate its severity along with the factors affecting it in the subacute (1–6 months) and chronic (>6 months) phases of rehabilitation. Post-stroke patients presenting for follow-up were assessed through clinician-administered questionnaires. Results: It was observed that 65.3% of the 170 participants studied with stroke with a male preponderance. Severity of depression after 1 month of onset was found to be directly correlated with severity of residual functional disability but not with stroke characteristics like severity or site of lesion at onset. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of PSD. Severity of depression in subacute and chronic phases of stroke rehabilitation is not a directly correlated severity of stroke at onset or site of lesion but is directly correlated to stroke sequelae of residual functional disability.