Stroke and mental health care: a record linkage study

Background Stroke is associated with psychiatric morbidity but little is known about mental health care use in stroke patients. Method A probability record linkage study was conducted linking stroke cases admitted to a teaching hospital serving a catchment area between 1987 and 1995 with records from a psychiatric case register covering the same area. Results Stroke patients had a more than twofold increased risk of contact with mental health care than individuals in the general population (yearly prevalences of respectively 88 and 39 per 1000; risk ratio 2.24; 95 % CI 2.04–2.45). One-third of all stroke admissions had had mental health care before and more than half had had mental health care after the stroke. In the year of admission for stroke, the probability of receiving mental health care was highest, while in the more remote years the risk was lower. Conclusion Stroke is associated with an increased probability of contact with mental health services. The pattern of mental health care of a stroke patient is different from that of other mental health patients: more episodic and concentrated around the time of admission for stroke.