Stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability in the United States. Stroke is most commonly seen in the elderly population. However, studies show that the incidence of this devastating condition is increasing among the younger generation. Potential causes of increased incidences of young people stroke include better diagnostic tests with neuroimaging, increased use of illicit drugs, and increased occurrences of risk factors. Stroke patients are not only affected by long term physical and cognitive disabilities, but also by psychological challenges such as Post-Stroke Depression (PSD). Depression is the most common neuropsychiatric complication of a stroke. However, PSD is often overlooked, and it is an aspect that receives the least attention from clinicians. As a result, there is an increased rate of morbidity and mortality among young stroke victims with depressive symptoms compared to those of the same age without PSD. The purpose of this article is to explore existing knowledge of current guidelines used to treat PSD, specifically in young stroke patients. This is all in an effort to better assist clinicians in treating PSD and in turn improve young patients’ quality of life.   An electronic database search was done through MedLine, PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Google Scholar. Key words such as “young stroke,” “depression,” and “treatment” were used to gather relevant articles.
Results: Pharmacological therapy with SSRIs and TCAs has been highly successful for PSD in general population. However, no studies were found that specifically address treatment options for young stroke patients.  Clinicians play a crucial role in helping young stroke survivors to recover and possibly resume their previous lives. Therefore, further research is warranted to evaluate the effects of current PSD treatment options that specifically target young stroke population.

With Regards,
Sara Giselle
Associate Managing Editor
Journal of Stroke Research & Therapy