A recent study has found that depression can increase a person’s risk of heart failure by up to 40 percent.  The study looked at medical data for close to 63,000 people in Norway and adjusted for factors that could cause both depression and heart failure like obesity and smoking.  They found that mild symptoms of depression increased a person’s risk of developing heart failure by five percent.  Moderate to severe symptoms of depression increased a person’s risk by 40 percent.

On top of reducing people’s motivation to become healthy and take their medication on a regular basis, depression also releases stress hormones which can speed up breathing and increase pulse.  Stress hormones can also cause inflammation and atherosclerosis, a disease that creates plaque build-up inside arteries.

The authors’ recommendation: “Patients at all hospitals should be screened for depression to help them recover from existing illnesses, avoid developing new ones, and have a more enjoyable life.”

Click here to read the full article: http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/04/04/depression-can-hike-risk-of-heart-failure-by-40-percent/68062.html

Mark is a mental health professional who has worked in the EAP field since 2004.  During this time, he has provided telephonic crisis counseling, workplace consultations regarding behavioral risk issues, trainings on various work-life topics, and account management services.