Depression in neurological disorders: Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and stroke.

Correspondence to: Dr Hugh Rickards, Queen Elizabeth Psychiatric Hospital, Mindelsohn Way, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2QZ, UK; [email protected] _________________________ D epression is a heterogeneous group of conditions and a clinical diagnosis without external validators. Diagnosis of depression in the setting of disorders that produce psychomotor retardation and changes in vegetative function can be particularly challenging. This review aims to emphasise the importance of depressive symptoms and syndromes in the overall wellbeing of people with neurological disorders, and to equip clinicians with the practical skills to recognise and treat depression effectively. The evidence base for the treatment of depression in neurological disorders is inadequate. Therefore much of the advice on treatment is based on clinical consensus and experience with treatments in other settings (that is, in the treatment of idiopathic depressive syndromes). Controlled trials of treatments for depression in this setting are urgently needed.