Relationship between depression, anxiety and quality of life: a study of stroke patients compared to chronic low back pain and myocardial ischemia patients.

The prevalence of anxiety disorders and depression is assessed as between 20 and 50% following stroke. Depressive persons tend to give their overall life situation a worse rating than their relatives or physicians because of negative cognitions. Nevertheless, research concerning Quality of Life (QoL) after stroke hardly ever takes into account the methodological bias of assessing QoL only by self-rating. The aim of this study was to point out the important relationship between depression, anxiety and the autoassessment of QoL. QoL was markedly affected in the poststroke patients and in the chronic low back pain and myocardial ischemia patients, and it was rated worst by the most seriously depressed subjects. Clinical studies focusing on the ever more significant evaluation criterion 'health-related QoL' after stroke should take into account the high prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms and their major influence on the patients' self-evaluated QoL.