Binkley and colleagues investigated whether talk therapy and antidepressants improved cardiac outcomes. Among their discoveries are:

• For people who have received both medication and talk therapy for anxiety or depression. The risk of hospitalization was reduced by 68-75%. The risk of emergency department visits was reduced by 67 to 74 percent, and the risk of death from any cause was reduced by approximately 67 percent.
• Talk therapy alone reduced the risk of readmission by almost half (46 to 49%), and emergency department visits were similarly reduced (48 to 53%).
• Medication alone reduced readmissions by up to 58% and ER visits by up to 49%.

“Heart disease and anxiety/depression interact, and each promotes the other,” Binkley says. “There appears to be a mental process linking heart disease to anxiety and depression, which is currently being investigated. Heart disease and anxiety/depression are both associated with activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which is called an involuntary It is part of the nervous system and can increase heart rate and blood pressure, which can also contribute to anxiety and depression.”

Binkley hopes the findings will encourage cardiologists and other medical professionals to regularly screen for depression and anxiety.

“Collaborative care models are essential to managing cardiovascular and mental health. Hopefully, these findings will stimulate additional research into the mechanistic links between mental health and heart disease.” I hope,” he said.

Research content and background

• 1,563 adults aged 22 to 64 years were enrolled over a 3-year period. All participants had been hospitalized for the first time with artery blockage or heart failure and had claimed health insurance more than once for anxiety or depression.
• It was noted that 68% were female and 81% were white. All had been enrolled in Ohio’s Medicaid program for 6 months prior to hospitalization. The health data he received came from two sources. Ohio Medicaid claims and Ohio death certificate files from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2012.
• Participants were followed until the end of 2014 or until death or termination of Medicaid enrollment.
• Approximately 23% of participants received both antidepressants and psychotherapy. Nearly 15% received only psychotherapy. 29% took antidepressants only. and 33% did not receive mental health treatment.
• Approximately 92% of study participants had been diagnosed with anxiety and 55.5% with depression before admission.

/Open to the public. This material from the original organization/author may be of a contemporary nature and has been edited for clarity, style, and length. Mirage.News does not take any institutional position or stance, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the authors. Read the full text here.