Coping in Neurological Disorders

J.J. Randolph (ed.), Positive Neuropsychology: Evidence-Based Perspectives on Promoting Cognitive Health, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-6605-5_2, © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013 The occurrence of depression in neurological patient groups is signifi cantly greater than what would be expected based on incidence of depression in the general population, in which lifetime and 12-month point-prevalence rates are estimated at 17% and 7%, respectively (Kessler, Chiu, Demler, Merikangas, & Walters, 2005 ). For example, estimates suggest that 16% of individuals with dementia report clinically signifi cant depression and 26.8% report clinically signifi cant apathy (Lyketsos et al., 2002 ). A meta-analysis examining post-stroke depression estimated that 23.3% of patients meet criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), with another 15% of patients reporting signifi cant depressive symptoms (Robinson, 2003 ). Among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, the post-MS diagnosis lifetime prevalence of depression is estimated at approximately 50% (Joffe, Lippert, Gray, Sawa, & Horvath, 1987 ), whereas point-prevalence rates of depression are roughly 15% (Patten, Beck, Williams, Barbui, & Metz, 2003 ). The literature on depression prevalence in Parkinson’s disease (PD) reports prevalence rates of MDD ranging from 8 to 24%, with as many as 11–54% of PD patients reporting clinically relevant depressive symptoms during their lifetimes post-disease onset (Reijnders, Ehrt, Weber, Aarsland, & Leentjens, 2008 ). In adults with Attention-Defi cit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), point-prevalence rates of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are estimated at 18.6%, and the prevalence of any mood disorder is 38.3% (Kessler et al., 2006 ). Regarding traumatic brain injury (TBI), research indicates that 53.1% of patients meet the criteria for MDD in the 12-month period following their hospitalization (Bombardier et al., 2010 ). Chapter 2 Coping in Neurological Disorders