Depression Tips

It is common for you to feel sad or depressed after a heart attack, cardiac surgery or procedure, recent hospitalization, or new diagnosis of heart disease. These emotions may be the result of not knowing what to expect or not being able to do simple tasks without becoming overly tired.

Temporary feelings of sadness are normal, and should gradually go away within a few weeks, as you get back to your normal routine and activities.

Sometimes, however, a depressed mood can prevent you from leading a normal life. When a depressed mood is severe and accompanied by other symptoms that persist every day for two or more weeks, treatment is necessary to help you cope and recover

Role of depression in cardiac patient:-

• Unmanaged stress can lead to high blood pressure, arterial damage, irregular heart rhythms, and a weakened immune system.
• For people with heart disease, depression increases the risk for an adverse cardiac event such as a heart attack or blood clots. For people who do not have heart disease, depression increases the risk of heart attack and coronary disease.
• One in six patients who have had a heart attack suffer from clinical depression. In one study, the continued presence of depression after recovery increased the risk of death (mortality rate) to 17% within six months after a heart attack (versus 3% mortality in heart attack patients who didn’t suffer from depression).
• During recovery from cardiac surgery, depression can intensify pain, cause worsened fatigue and sluggishness, or cause a person to withdraw into social isolation. Patients who have had coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and have untreated depression after surgery also have an increased morbidity and mortality rate.
• Patients with heart failure and depression have an increased risk of being readmitted to the hospital within three months to one year after their hospitalization.
• Negative lifestyle habits associated with depression - such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, poor diet, and lack of social support – interfere with the treatment for heart disease.

Depressive disorders result from a mix of factors  that relate to :

• A person’s family history, physical health, state of mind and environment
• High levels of stress, life transitions, loss and many other factors
• Imbalances in the chemicals that the body uses to control mood

How do I know when to seek help?

If you are recovering from heart disease, a heart attack, or another heart condition, feelings of sadness and a depressed mood are common for the first few weeks.

However, treatment is necessary when depression is severe and accompanied by other symptoms (including withdrawal from activities, not responding when visiting with family and friends, increased negative thoughts, and tearfulness). Without treatment, depression can become worse. For heart patients, depression can contribute to an increased risk of heart attack and coronary disease. Your health care provider can refer you to a mental health specialist who can provide the appropriate treatment when necessary.

When depression is negatively affecting your life — such as causing difficulties with relationships, work issues, or family disputes — and there isn’t a clear solution to these problems, then you should seek help to prevent things from getting worse.

More specific reasons to seek help include:

• You have suicidal thoughts or feelings. Suicide is an irreversible solution to problems and causes permanent harm to family members and friends. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call your physician or local 24-hour suicide hotline right away, or go to the nearest emergency room for help.
• Your negative feelings persist daily for two weeks or more.
• You have significant difficulty with your daily routine, social activities and/or work.
• You don’t have anyone in whom you can confide. If you don’t have anyone to share your thoughts with, it’s hard to know if what you’re thinking makes sense.

Conclusion:-

The early detection and treatment of depression in heart patients are crucial to improve a patient’s quality of life and prevent a recurrent coronary event. When left untreated, depression can worsen heart disease and increase the risk of a heart attack. Safe treatments are available to help you cope with depression and help you manage your heart disease.