Heart Patients Prone to Depression (Part 1)

Amid a dismal economy, rising food and health-care costs, and an uncertain job market, even the most optimistic person can get "down and out." But factor in a serious medical condition, and the result could be—depression. Scientists recently confirmed the long-held notion that diabetes contributes to depression, and vice versa, and multiple studies have shown a strong link between heart disease and depression. As a matter of fact, depression is so common among cardiac patients that the American Heart Association (AHA) recently issued new guidelines recommending that all heart patients be routinely screened for signs of depression.

“Studies show that depression is about three times more common in patients following a heart attack than in the general community,” said Judith Lichtman of Yale University School of Medicine, who helped write the new guidelines. Moreover, depressed heart patients are more likely to neglect their prescribed medications and are less likely to stay on a healthy diet and exercise regime, making them more vulnerable to recurrent heart problems. “There is no direct evidence yet that treating depression improves coronary heart disease outcomes, but plenty of evidence shows that having depression worsens those outcomes,” she said. “By understanding the prevalence of depression and learning more about the subgroups of heart patients at particular risk of depression, we can begin to understand the best ways to recognize and treat it.”

The recommendations call for all heart patients to be screened by initially asking two standard questions: Over the past two weeks, have you had little interest or pleasure in doing things? Have you felt down, depressed, or hopeless? If the patient answers yes to one or both, they should be further evaluated with seven additional questions: