After suffering a stroke, more than 50% of people experience depression, which adversely affects their recovery. In a randomized controlled trial, researchers recently evaluated two preventive therapies: the drug escitalopram (Lexapro) and problem-solving therapy.

The study of 176 patients was conducted within 3 months of their strokes. Researchers found that compared with patients who received placebo, those who received either escitalopram or problem-solving therapy had a lower incidence of depression over 12 months. Because the researchers used the intention-to-treat conservative method of analysis, however, problem-solving therapy didn't achieve significant results over placebo.

Source: Robinson RG, et al. Escitalopram and problem-solving therapy for prevention of poststroke depression: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 299(20):2391-2400, May 28, 2008.

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