Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Poststroke Depression

In patients with an acute stroke (P), how does implementing cognitive behavioral therapy (I) compared to no cognitive behavioral therapy (C) affect depressive symptoms (O) within twelve weeks (T)? Every year, approximately 795,000 people in the United States experience a stroke and it is estimated that around 6.4 million people in the United States are stroke survivors (Cheng et al., 2015). Over one-third of patients who have had a stroke suffer from poststroke depression (PSD) which has a significant impact on overall recovery (Towfighi et al., 2019). Allida et al. (2020) states that, although depression may influence recovery and outcomes following stroke, many (perhaps most) people with stroke do not receive effective treatment because their mood disorder is undiagnosed or is inadequately treated. The physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of patients and caregivers alike are impacted by PSD, which negatively affects individuals, families, and relationships with no end in sight if change does not happen. The high prevalence of stroke and the increasing age of the population demands more attention on stroke recovery and PSD