ANXIETY DISORDERS AFTER STROKE - RESULTS FROM THE PERTH COMMUNITY STROKE STUDY

Background. The prevalence of anxiety disorders in 294 patients who su rvived to four months in the Perth Community Stroke Study (Perth, Aust ralia), and a follow-up of these patients at 12 months, are presented. Method. Diagnoses are described both in the usual DSM hierarchic form at and by a non-hierarchic approach. Adoption of the hierarchic approa ch alone greatly underestimates the prevalence of anxiety disorders. R esults. Most cases were of agoraphobia, and the remainder were general ised anxiety disorder. The prevalence of anxiety disorders alone was 5 % in men and 19% in women; in community controls, it was 5% in men and 8% in women. Adopting a non-hierarchic approach to diagnosis gave a p revalence of 12% in men and 28% in women. When those who showed eviden ce of anxiety disorder before stroke were subtracted, the latter preva lence was 9% in men and 20% in women. Conclusion. One-third of the men and half of the women with post-stroke anxiety disorders showed evide nce of either depression or an anxiety disorder at the time of the str oke. At 12 month follow-up of 49 patients with agoraphobia by a non-hi erarchic approach, 51% had recovered, and equal proportions of the rem ainder had died or still had agoraphobia. The only major difference in outcome between those with anxiety disorder alone and those with como rbid depression was the greater mortality in the latter.