Clinical Observation on the Effects of Early Combined Rehabilitation Therapy on Patients with Post-stroke Depression

Objective: To explore the effects of early combined rehabilitation therapy on patients with post-stroke depression(PSD).Methods: Eighty-five patients with PSD were recruited and randomly divided into combined treatment group(n=45) and conventional treatment group(n=40).All the cases had received the conventional drug treatment and rehabilitation therapy.The cases in the combined treatment group were treated with antidepressant drugs and additional psychotherapy.National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS),Fugl-Meyer assessment(FMA),Barthel Index(BI) and Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD) were employed to assess all the cases before and 50 days after the treatment.Results: At 50 days after the treatment,the NIHSS score and the HAMD score of patients in the combined treatment group were significantly lower than those before the treatment(P0.01) and those of patients in the conventional treatment group(P0.05).The FMA score and BI score of patients in the combined treatment group were significantly higher than those before treatment and those in the conventional treatment group(P0.01).At fifty days post the treatment,the FMA score in the conventional treatment group was higher and the HAMD score was lower than those before treatment(P0.05).Conclusion: Early combined rehabilitation therapy tan promote the neurologic functional recovery and improve the prognosis of patients with PSD.