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(Stroke. 2009;40:523.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Contributions

Assessment of Depression After Stroke

A Comparison of Different Screening Instruments

Anu Berg, Lic Psych; Jouko Lönnqvist, MD; Heikki Palomäki, MD Markku Kaste, MD

From the Department of Neurology (A.B., H.P., M.K.), Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; and the Department of Mental Health and Alcohol Research (J.L.), National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland.

Correspondence to Anu Berg, Lic Psych, South Karelian Central Hospital, Valto Käkelän katu 1, FIN-53130 Lappeenranta, Finland. E-mail anu.berg{at}ekshp.fi

Background and Purpose— Assessing poststroke depression may be complicated by aphasia, other cognitive deficits, and several somatic stroke-related symptoms. We studied the possible differences in performance of some commonly used instruments in screening depression after stroke.

Methods— We compared the Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Visual Analogue Mood Scale, proxy assessment, and Clinical Global Impression of the nursing and study personnel, together with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Edition, Revised diagnosis, in assessing depression after stroke in a follow-up study of 100 patients. The patients were studied at 2 weeks and at 2, 6, 12, and 18 months after stroke.

Results— The feasibility rates of all assessment instruments studied were fairly similar, but the prevalence rates differed according to the assessment instruments, varying from the lowest rates with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Edition, Revised-based diagnosis up to 3-fold with caregiver ratings. The sensitivity and specificity against the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria were acceptable with the Clinical Global Impression, Beck Depression Inventory, and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, mostly in the range of 0.70 to 1.00. The caregiver ratings were higher than the patient ratings (P<0.001) and correlated with the caregiver’s own Beck Depression Inventory (0.60 to 0.61, P<0.001). The Visual Analogue Mood Scale was not a sensitive instrument (sensitivity, 0.20 to 0.60) and did not correlate with the Beck Depression Inventory during the first year after stroke.

Conclusions— Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and Clinical Global Impression assessment by professionals, in addition to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Edition, Revised diagnosis, are useful in assessing depression, but none of these instruments clearly stood apart from the others. Proxy ratings should be used with caution, and the use of the Visual Analogue Mood Scale among patients with aphasia and other cognitive impairments cannot be recommended.

Key Words: assessment of depression • depression • stroke

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