Preventive Effects of Antidepressants on Post-stroke Depression / 中国心理卫生杂志

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To test whether early prophylactic antidepressant treatment by paroxetine has any beneficial influence on the rate of post-stroke depression (PSD) and rehabilitation of stroke patients. Methods: A randomized, placebo controlled study involved 64 consecutive patients admitted to hospital for an acute stroke; they were treated with placebo, paroxetine (20mg/d) respectively. Before and at the end of the observation, we assessed the rate of PSD and activities of daily living (ADL), degree of neurological deficit (modified Edinburgh-Scandinavia scale, MESS) of all the subjects.Results:At the end of 12-week treatment, the treatment group had lower rate of PSD (10.7%) than control (41.4%); and they had lower score in ADL (27.6?4.8/32.8?4.1) and lower score in MESS (11.1?4.3/13.6?3.2).Conclusion:Prophylactic antidepressant treatment by paroxetine can decrease the rate of PSD and improve the neurological function of post-stroke patients.