Group Urges Depression Screening for Heart Patients

Depressed heart patients are less likely to take their medicines as directed, improve their diets, exercise, and attend cardiac rehabilitation sessions.

"There is no direct evidence yet that treating depression improves coronary heart disease outcomes, but plenty of evidence shows that having depression worsens those outcomes," said Judith H. Lichtman, co-chair of the statement and an associate professor of epidemiology at Yale University School of Medicine, said in the news release. "By understanding the prevalence of depression and learning more about the subgroups of heart patients at particular risk of depression, we can begin to understand the best ways to recognize and treat it."

More information

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about heart attack.