The sensitivity of somatic symptoms in post-stroke depression: a discriminant analytic approach

Background Somatic and neurocognitive symptoms of depression may overlap with the physical symptoms of stroke, and thus make the diagnosis of post‐stroke depression difficult. Aim To assess the sensitivity of individual depressive symptoms and their contribution to the diagnosis of post‐stroke depression. Patients and methods Two hundred and six patients with first‐ever stroke, participating in a longitudinal study, were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM‐D). In a discriminant analysis the relative contribution of the individual HAM‐D items to the diagnosis of major depressive disorder was evaluated. Results The cumulative incidence of post‐stroke major depressive disorder was 32%. The discriminant model based on HAM‐D item scores was highly significant (p