Depression increases stroke risk in women The study found that depressed women had a 2.4 times increased risk of stroke, compared to those who weren't depressed, which reduced to 1.9 times the risk when other factors increasing stroke risk were excluded. Study author Doctor Caroline Jackson, an epidemiologist in the School of Population Health at the University of Queensland in Australia, said: "When treating women, doctors need to recognise the serious nature of poor mental health and what effects it can have in the long term. The research is the first large-scale study in which scientists examined the association between depression and stroke in younger middle-aged women. The researchers said that although the increased stroke risk associated with depression was large, the absolute risk of stroke is still fairly low for women of that age. About 1.5 per cent of all women in the study suffered a stroke. Dr Jackson said similar results could be expected among European and American women. She added: "We may need more targeted approaches to prevent and treat depression among younger women, because it could have a much stronger impact on stroke for them now rather than later in life." The findings were published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. Dr Clare Walton, from charity the Stroke Association said: "Past research has suggested that depression may increase your risk of stroke and this study adds further evidence to this. People with depression may be less motivated to maintain good health or take medications correctly which could put them at greater risk. However, it's very difficult to determine whether one directly causes the other.