Poststroke depression: neurologic, physiologic, diagnostic, and treatment implications.

Poststroke depression is a serious disorder that can compromise the overall rehabilitative process, including speech-language treatment. To provide patients with the maximum opportunity for recovery and therapeutic gains, speech-language pathologists need to increase their awareness of depression and understand the neurologic, physiologic, diagnostic, and treatment implications of this disorder. This article defines depression and reviews the theories that explain the nature of the disorder as well as methods for diagnosing and treating stroke patients who are clinically depressed.