Ye 2004.

Study characteristics
Methods	Aim: to investigate whether antidepressive therapy is needed for people with post‐stroke depression or not, and the effect of different antidepressive drugs on the rehabilitation of psychological and neurological function after stroke 3 groups: paroxetine, imipramine and control. We are using the paroxetine versus control arm in this review
Participants	Country: China Setting: inpatient Stroke: all pathological subtypes, clinical diagnosis plus confirmation by imaging (did not state whether a visible lesion was needed to make the diagnosis), no positive psychiatric disorders or family history, clear consciousness, no comprehension problem Mood: inclusion criteria: HAMD score > 21, HAMA scale > 14 Treatment: 30 people, age 58.04 ± 8.28 years, 22 men Control: 30 people, age 59.21 ± 9.52 years, 17 men Exclusion criteria: severe cardiac, hepatic and renal diseases, multiple infarcts or haemorrhage
Interventions	Treatment: paroxetine 20 mg/day plus acute stroke routine care and rehabilitation Control: acute stroke routine care plus rehabilitation Duration of treatment: 12 weeks Duration of follow‐up (end of treatment to end of study): 0
Outcomes	Chinese Neurological Impairment Scale, modified BI, HAMD, HAMA, Therapeutic Effect for Depression and Neurologic Function Death, GI upset Method of recording side effects not stated
Funding source	Source of funding not stated
Notes	Inconsistent description about the number of recruitment and randomisation between abstract (N = 90) and result part (N = 93) of the text. The number for final analysis is consistent in the text
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Used "number table", but unclear if this was a random number table
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Low risk	The study designer was not involved in assessment and treatment, the assessors did not know the allocation
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	The participants were blinded. Not clear if those delivering the treatment were blind, but no placebo used
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Assessors were blinded
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Only 1 dropped out in paroxetine group
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Unclear risk	No protocol
Other bias	Unclear risk	Different numbers reported to have been recruited and randomised, baseline similar