Considerable evidence finds depression to be common after all forms and severities of TBI. At all time points from injury, prevalence is higher than the estimated 8–10 percent in the general population. No evidence provides a basis for preferring one timeframe for screening over another, implying repeated screening is imperative. No evidence is available to guide treatment choices for depression after head injury.
Overall the evidence is low to guide screening and care for depression after TBI. Given at least 1.5 million TBIs per year with many potential consequences that impair quality of life and function, substantially greater efforts are warranted to understand the biologic causes, natural history, treatment, and prevention of depression after TBI.