Heart patients are particularly vulnerable to depression and should be screened, and if necessary treated, to improve their recovery and overall health, according to a scientific advisory issued Monday by the American Heart Association and co-authored by a Yale School of Public Health researcher.
“Depression and heart disease seem to be very much intertwined,” said Judith H. Lichtman, co-chair of the statement and associate professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. “You can’t treat the heart in isolation from the patient’s mental health.”
The American Psychiatric Association has endorsed the statement—the first of its kind on the link between heart disease and depression. Some of its recommendations include:
- Routine and frequent screening for depression in patients with chronic heart disease in a variety of settings, including the hospital, physician’s office and cardiac rehabilitation center.
- Help for patients with positive screening results by a professional qualified to diagnose and manage treatment for depression.
- Careful monitoring of patients to ensure adherence to their treatment plan.
- Coordination between health care professionals treating patients with combined medical and mental health diagnoses.
While there is no evidence that screening for depression leads to improved outcomes for people with cardiovascular complications, the advisory does state that depression is linked with increased morbidity and mortality, lower rates of cardiac rehabilitation and poorer quality of life.