Heart Disease & Depression

Hi Everyone, here's something I found that some might find helpful and/or interesting:

Sept. 29, 2008 -- Heart disease and depression are so common that all heart patients should be routinely screened for depression and referred for professional help if necessary, according to new recommendations issued by the American Heart Association.

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20080929/check-all-heart-patients-for-depression

Pookie

8 Comments

Interesting

by ElectricFrank - 2008-09-30 01:09:28

It always amazes me when the medical profession "discovers" the obvious. In the article the following is recommended as part of the screening:

Administer a two-item questionnaire, asking the patient: "Over the past two weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems? (1) Little interest or pleasure in doing things. (2) Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless.

When we have our lives interrupted by a life threatening condition or even just feel lousy is it a big discovery that we don't have much interest or pleasure in doing things? After multiple attempts to get a doctor to take our symptoms seriously is it so amazing that we feel down, depressed, or hopeless?

So what is the first item on the list of treatments? Of course it is meds. These ensure a compliant patient who won't complain.

For me the best medicine is to take control of the situation.

frank

VERY INTERESTING QUESTION

by pete - 2008-09-30 03:09:06

This subject fascinates me. I have spent a lot of time thinking about it. What I have gone through over the last 10 years should depress a saint. But I have never been depressed. I would say that the only feeling I have ever had is annoyed. My heart condition has cost me an absolute fortune in lost income, reduced pension. On paper it has wrecked my retirement by loosing my well paid job. Now only working part time where my salary is equal to what an annual pay rise used to be before I lost my job! No Im not depressed. Why not? Good question. I think it is because I am mostly looking forward and looking back is on the agenda but I make sure it is not for too long. I am constantly setting myself little tasks and things to do that I can enjoy and targets that after a little effort I can achieve. So this makes life interesting , fascinating, worth living. So what reason or time do I have to get depressed. Yesterday I lost a great deal of my retirement fund in a bank that went bust
, I only felt annoyed at the crooks who have now set up robber capitalism. Yet the husband of a distant relative in New Zealand who I will be travelling to see soon is depressed because he has had a heart problem and they fitted a stent. I just cannot get my head round this and have questioned him about it but I cannot get to the bottom of it except to say that his makeup must mean somehow he is unable to take this kind of thing in his stride. Maybe I should say dont get depressed, "get even" by surviving and making the most of your remaining life on planet earth. Cheers pete

Pete again

by pete - 2008-09-30 04:09:03

Hi everybody, sorry but none of the comments that have been made have made me depressed. It only reminds me of what a lot of level headed people we have generally on this site. I take no offence either as it is as east to take offense as give it. Thanks for all the extra comments I enjoyed all of them. Cheers for now. Pete

not everyone is the same

by alice G - 2008-09-30 06:09:38

hi pete i wish i could be like you but when life has thrown you a lot of hard knocks yes you start off by getting yourself up and dusting yourself down . but when it keeps happening it gets harder to do that and at some point it feels like your drowning in problems and there is no way out. i wish we could be like you and get even but unfortunatley were not all given the strength you seem to have. iam not getting at you but just telling it as it is

pete

by jessie - 2008-09-30 10:09:25

pete the comments were not to depress you. the comments were to show some people deal differently with things. heart disease doesn't exactly make one happy. even at the best after a p.m. you are more susceptible to atrial fib than without one. all i am saying is that if you can't get over feeling low and sad a bit of help does not hurt till you feel better. antidepressants are not addictive. like cab patch said one out of four are criminally insane. a bit scary isn't that. now i will look around me. another thing to think about. pete i am going to bed. nitey nite also nite to over the pond peter my dear friend jess

Depressed?????

by Peter.Nash - 2008-09-30 11:09:32

Hi Pete,
I think you maybe have put the cat among the pigeons here ..certainly a good subject and one that needs an airing>>>>
You are right to a point there is no future in the past but the odd look back perhaps to some better times is good.
But I think you are being a bit harsh with your NZ friends/family member.... as you have already seen by the comments ..... Not everyone handles things the same... different tolerance levels to different aches and pains.. and my word if you have ever been really affected by a drug that doesn’t suit it can really mash your brain up and your body up..after all we are only a bag of water and chemicals add some take some away??? so there are times when positive thinking doesn’t even come into the equation ....depression is a lack of chemicals to a point.... believe me I have been there ...I am not for a minute saying you have not had a hard time... but one man’s paper cut is another man’s open heart surgery!!!!!
Just curious as to how you came to find this site most of us were looking for a bit of support which is what we all got... and yet your posting could comes across as none of us need it?
I also agree that it is good to set yourself little targets and achieve them not only is it good for your health it is good for your well being.
For instance I made the effort to go to see Chrissie (wingart) just last Sunday apart from it being a lovely day and for me a bit of an achievement..I still sometimes get depressed or like you annoyed at the fact I have to pay the price the next day or two .... there is not a lot of difference between being depressed sad or annoyed it is all a state of mind sometimes we are up sometimes down... just life for most of us and I think if you were brutally honest it is the same for you ..you are just better at coping with it.. which makes you an extremely lucky person...the way I see it some of are touchy feely and some of us are not... I don’t find it hard to understand at all.
Pete not knocking you in any way onwards and upward my friend! Would like to hear your comments I am sure there would be a lot of interest..... Perhaps we can all learn something ...Peter N

Depression

by iraiam - 2008-09-30 12:09:38

Yes, I read that article too.

I have fought depression for quite a while, but now after my Pacemaker implant I have been less depressed overall, because I feel so much better. Now I am fighting a little depression because I'm on temporary disability from work until December.

I always refused to go to a "shrink" because I already knew I was depressed and did not want to wind up taking a bunch of drugs. I have a high tolerance to pain, both physical and mental. I refused any narcotic pain meds after my PM surgery and will not take anti-depressants.

My ups and downs will likely continue, being on disability with the medical bills rolling in is not going to help matters at all.

depression

by pacergirl - 2008-10-01 02:10:45

Hi all, yes it is the forgetful one. he he....

I have to agree with many of the previous comments about everyone reacting differently. Many personality types can handle the problems of life in a positive way. I myself usually can stay pretty positive. BUT there have been times in my life when I reached such a level of despair that I could hardly get out of bed without some loving inspiration from my loved ones.

So as I like to say....As the Beatles used to sing.... Just a little help from my friends..... la la la.... it's all we need...
love, Pacergirl

You know you're wired when...

You can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.

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I'm 35 and got my pacemaker a little over a year ago. It definitely is not a burden to me. In fact, I have more energy (which my husband enjoys), can do more things with my kids and have weight because of having the energy.