Depression and Heart Disease Are Bad Companions

Many people may be surprised to know that recent studies have been done which show that depression and heart diseases are sometimes companions. Individuals who have heart disease seem to be more at risk for suffering from depression when compared to people who do not have heart disease. This is important information to know because the combination of depression and heart disease can put a person at more risk of dying after a heart attack when compared to someone who has a heart attack with no depression. Why? A person who has depression may find it more difficult to take the medication they need to treat their heart disease.

It is crucial that individuals who have depression and heart disease seek out treatment for their depression. Anxiety and depression can increase a person’s blood pressure and heart rhythms. It can also lead to elevated cholesterol and insulin levels, as well as stress hormones such as adrenaline and corisol. All of this can increase a person’s risk of having a heart attack. Many times depression goes undiagnosed in someone who has heart disease. It is important that if you feel you have depression and heart disease that you find skill health professionals who can tell the difference between the symptoms that accompany heart disease and the symptoms of depression.

Depression is serious business. Whatever its origins, it can be treated.

Here are a few of the common signs and symptoms of depression:

* Emptiness, sadness and/or anxiousness. This is not the usual sadness or anxiousness that is part of life. This type of sadness, emptiness and anxiousness does not go away on its own and is not simply a case of the “blues.”

* Feeling worthless, helpless or guilty. A person may feel that he or she is not worth the attention needed to get the depression treated. They may feel guilty over being depressed, or they may feel guilt over a past event. The person may feel helpless and pessimistic.

* Loss of interest in life. A person may lose interest in their job, family, friends, social life, sex life, their health, hobbies and so on. It may just seem too much of a chore to even get out of bed.

* Appetite changes. A person may eat more of less than usual. A person may put on weight or lose weight. 

* Lack of energy. A person may feel tired all the time. They may sleep all the time but they may have sleep disturbances which keep them from feeling rested.

* Thoughts of death. A person who is suffering from depression may dwell on death and may even have thoughts of suicide.

If you have heart disease and you also have the symptoms of depression you should talk with a health professional. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Once you get your depression lifted through medication and/or therapy it will be easier for you to take charge of your life and learn to live with your heart disease.

Living with depression and heart disease can truly make life tough to deal with. It is important that you connect with people who have similar experiences. There are many online support groups for people with depression or who have depression and heart disease. Now that research is uncovering more about depression and heart disease do not have to feel all alone. You would probably be surprised at the number of people who are coming forward to seek treatment. It is almost a relief. Now they know that the things they feel is not just a byproduct of heart disease or something they have to live with.