After making statistical adjustments to the data, the researchers found depression increased a person's chance of suffering from a heart attack by more than fourfold. The original research was performed in the 1980's by the National Institute of Mental Health to determine the prevalence of mental illnesses. Dr. Eaton realized how valuable this information was when more recent studies linked depression with heart attacks. Interested professionals would like to see the study duplicated before drawing conclusions about the relationship between depression and heart attack. Experts are unsure why depression increases the risk of a heart attack, but surmise that depressed people do not take care of themselves as well as happier people.
Unhappy people are also more likely to smoke.
Another explanation may be that depression causes biochemical changes in the body. Researchers concluded that the possible link between depression and heart attack is an important reason why depressed people should seek help. Because doctors do not usually screen for depression, patients should alert their doctors to their feelings. All rights reserved. Before accessing or using HeartInfo, please read our Disclaimer and Privacy Policy .