Abstract: ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of cognitive therapy on the prognosis of the stroke patients with depression.Methods80 stroke patients with depression diagnosed according to Hamilton Depression Scale-17 (HAMD-17) were randomly divided into the treatment group and control group with 40 cases in each group. All patients of two groups were treated with routine therapy, but those of the treatment group were added with the cognitive therapy. All patients were re-evaluated one month and six months later.ResultsAfter treatment, the neurological function of all patients improved, but the scores of HAMD-17 of the patients in the treatment group were significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.01), and the effect of the treatment group was significantly superior to the control group (P<0.01).ConclusionThe cognitive therapy may improve the prognosis of the stroke patients with depression.

Key words: cognitive therapy, stroke, depression, functional recovery