Depression May Increase Strokes in Women

Women who are depressed — especially those who take medicine for it — have a higher risk of stroke than other women, new research finds. The study was based on information from the long-running Nurses’ Health Study. It included 80,574 women from ages 54 through 79. None of them had a history of stroke when the study began. About 22% of them were depressed or had been depressed in the past. In the next 6 years, 1,033 strokes occurred. The stroke rate was 29% higher in women with a history of depression. The rate was 39% higher among those who took drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for their depression. The journal Stroke published the study. USA Today wrote about it August 12.