Many heart failure or heart attack patients suffer from psychological distress, yet only one third of such patients visit a mental health professional. Researchers from the Ohio State University School of Public Health in Columbus found that physicians need to be aware that psychological distress is a problem among patients with cardiovascular disease. Most importantly, screening tools should be available so that these patients can be identified and referred for appropriate treatment." Researchers analysed the data from 17,541 subjects who were included in the study. Psychological distress was assessed using a questionnaire called K6, which asked how often a person felt sad, nervous, restless, hopeless, everything was an effort, and worthless in the past 30 days. Each of the six conditions was scored from 0 to 4 and a total score of 13 or higher indicated psychological distress. The prevalence of psychological distress among patients with heart failure, heart attack or coronary heart disease was 10 percent, 6.4 percent, and 4.1 percent, respectively. By contrast, the estimated rate of psychological distress among individuals without cardiovascular disease was 2.8 percent. Further analysis showed that a diagnosis of MI (myocardial infarction) or heart failure doubled and tripled the likelihood of suffering psychological distress, respectively. However, just 31-35 percent of patients with cardiovascular disease and psychological distress saw a mental health professional. The findings suggest that it is important for doctors to address the mental health needs of these patients along with their cardiac condition.
European Heart Journal,
June 2005