The frequency and correlates of the catastrophic reaction (CR) were
examined in 52 consecutive patients with an acute stroke lesion. A new
scale proved reliable for measuring the severity of CR. The CR was
significantly associated with depression, a personal and family history of
psychiatric disorder, and subcortical lesions, which were mostly located in
the basal ganglia. Patients with and without a CR, when matched for the
presence and type of depression, differed only in that CR patients had
significantly more anterior lesions and a significantly higher frequency of
subcortical damage. Results demonstrate that the CR is significantly
associated with poststroke depression and may be a specific manifestation
of certain types of poststroke depression.Abstract Teaser