Stroke Victims Get Antidepressants Without Proper Diagnosis

Investigations from the Parkwood Hospital, in Ontario, Canada, discovered in a new study that people who've suffered from a stroke are prescribed antidepressant medication even if no proper diagnosis of depression has been established by a specialist.

The main implication for this research is that many patients may be over-treated, whereas others are overlooked, or do not get the amount of help they need, PsychCentral reports. The new study was led by researcher Katherine Salter.

“A lot of people are being treated for depression, but we don’t know if they’re the right ones. This study found that 40 percent of stroke patients were treated for depression, but most were not screened or diagnosed. Who are we treating?” says the expert, the lead researcher on the new paper.

Details of the new researcher were presented on Monday, October 1, at the Canadian Stroke Congress.