Almeida 2006

Methods	Parallel design Randomisation: computer‐generated random list of numbers Allocation concealment: centralised Blinding: double blind: participants: yes; investigators: yes; outcome assessors: unknown Analysis: ITT (last observation carried forward), withdrawn owing to becoming depressed, AE, treating practitioner started antidepressant, medical advice, no reason given, not contactable ‐ numbers not included
Participants	Location: Australia Setting: inpatient Treatment: 55 people, mean ± SD age 68 ± 13 years, 67% men Control: 56 people, mean ± SD age 67 ± 13 years, 62% men Stroke criteria: acute ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, diagnosis by clinical signs (ICD‐10) and CT (100% imaged, 10/111 CT scan did not show acute ischaemia); stroke on average < 2 weeks prior to randomisation Not depressed (HADS‐D had to be over 7) Other entry criteria: not stated Comparability of treatment groups: more participants in treatment group with previous heart attack and stroke, also higher levels of hypertension
Interventions	Treatment: sertraline 50 mg daily (night) Control: matched placebo Duration: treatment continued for 24 weeks Duration of follow‐up (post treatment to study end): 28 weeks
Outcomes	Depression: change in scores from baseline to end of treatment on HDRS, proportion depressed Change in MMSE scores mRS Death Leaving the trial early Check list of possible AEs read out to patient by a research nurse
Notes	Exclusion criteria: severe communication difficulties, unstable medical condition, severe cognitive impairment and depression (MMSE < 10), taking antidepressants within 4 weeks of stroke, contraindication to sertraline, previous reaction to sertraline, could not speak English
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	Computer‐generated random numbers
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Low risk	Centralised
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Performed last observation carried forward
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	Trial protocol published on www.strokecentre.org/trials
Other bias	Low risk	No other obvious biases Funded by an unrestricted grant from Rotary Health Research Fund
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Stated in paper, matched placebo
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Not stated in paper