MONDAY, July 25, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Although depression is common after stroke, most stroke patients who need mental health care don’t get the help they need, a new study reveals research
Approximately one in three stroke victims suffer from depression. But about two-thirds of those received no mental health treatment. The study found that patients who were older, male, black or Hispanic were even less likely to receive help.
“This study shows that a very large number of survivors are not getting the help and support they need after a stroke,” said study author Dr. Linda Williams, a researcher at the Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis. . “This rate has remained low for over a decade, despite societal changes in attitudes towards mental health treatment.”
For the study, researchers from Regenstrief, Indiana University School of Medicine and the University of Michigan looked at mental health services received by a nationally representative sample of stroke patients and others between 2004 and 2017.
During this time, depression treatment increased among the non-stroke population but remained stable among stroke patients.
“Needs not met by depression after a stroke remain important and are important because they affect stroke survivors’ quality of life and recovery,” Williams said in an institute news release. “Critical treatment gaps for vulnerable populations persist and potential gaps in quality of care may have widened between stroke and non-stroke patients.”
She said it’s important to determine barriers to mental health care for stroke survivors, with an emphasis on closing the gaps.
The findings were recently published in the journal neurology.
More information
The American Stroke Association has more information depression and stroke.
SOURCE: Regenstrief Institute, press release, July 20, 2022
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