Heartsick, broken-hearted, heavy-hearted – all are common idioms for feeling sad. These sayings may carry more truth than once realized, as researchers are now identifying links between depression and heart disease.
In April of 2003, Harvard Medical School published a review of nearly a dozen studies, encompassing more than 36,000 people, on the link between psychological factors and heart disease. Results show a consistent link between depression and an increased risk of heart problems. Some studies found up to four times greater risk of serious illness, such as coronary artery disease, in individuals who have had frequent depressive symptoms.
In these studies, researchers assessed healthy individuals for various personality states and emotions. These individuals were then followed for several years, to determine whether they later developed cardiovascular illness. Studies revealed that those who later developed heart problems were more often the individuals who had reported depression years before. Some studies showed that the more frequent or severe the depressive symptoms, the more likely a person was to have an incidence of cardiac problems.
Other psychological factors were also deemed important in assessing cardiovascular risk. Frequent emotions such as anger and hostility, or a pessimistic or negative outlook were all correlated with later heart disease. For example, people who scored higher on personality tests measuring anger were later three times more likely to require bypass surgery. Individuals in their 20s who demonstrated higher than average levels of hostility were 2.5 times more likely to develop signs of atherosclerosis within 10 years.
While some research suggests that being depressed causes heart disease, it is likely the relationship is a more complex one. It may be that the two illnesses share common factors, such as poor lifestyle habits, sleep problems, a hectic, stressful lifestyle, and unhealthy diet and exercise.
Studies are underway to determine whether treatment of depression in physically healthy but depressed individuals can prevent the later development of heart disease. Although the link has yet to be established between treating depression and reducing the risk of heart disease, present evidence favors adding basic mentally healthy habits, such as learning to manage stress or resolve anger, to your plan for leading a healthier lifestyle.
What the new research means is that conventional wisdom may hold true. Those with sunny personalities lead happier, healthier lives and those with negative, sad, or angry tendencies may be setting themselves up for more “heartache” – the medical variety.
By Jeanne Latiolais, PsyD
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