Depression treatment use among stroke individuals with depression: A cross-sectional analysis of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

BACKGROUND

Depression is the most prevalent psychiatric comorbidity among stroke individuals. Despite the effectiveness of antidepressants and psychotherapy, data on the use of these treatments among stroke survivors is limited.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of this study was to document prevalence of antidepressant use, types of antidepressants utilized, and adherence to antidepressants among stroke individuals.

METHODS

Retrospective, cross-sectional data obtained from the Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys (MEPS), for the years 2011, 2013 and 2015, was utilized for this study. Treatment for depression was categorized into three mutually exclusive categories: 1) antidepressants only, 2) antidepressants and psychotherapy (combination), and 3) No treatment. Adherence to antidepressants was measured using the Proportion of Days Covered (PDC) ratio. Adherence between antidepressant only and combination therapy group was compared using Student's t-test. A multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to further examine the association between patient characteristics and likelihood of receiving depression treatment.

RESULTS

A total of 759 stroke individuals with comorbid depression were identified. Of these, 51.2% utilized only antidepressants, 12.6% utilized a combination treatment of antidepressants and psychotherapy and 31.7% did not receive treatment for depression. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's) was the most commonly used antidepressants in the stroke population. Males (P = 0.04), age group of 40-64 years (P < 0.001), and African Americans (P = 0.02) constituted for the highest proportions of untreated stroke survivors. Among treated stroke individuals, adherence was higher for combination therapy users compared to those using antidepressants only (mean PDC = 65.8 ± 6.89 and 57.6 ± 3.74, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Almost 70% of stroke individuals received some form of treatment for depression and several patient-related factors (gender, age, race, marital status, and comorbidity burden) were associated with the utilization of depression treatment. Future researchers need to investigate the factors responsible for lack of depression treatment in stroke individuals and policy makers should aim for a more patient centered care.