[Resource] Mental health and heart disease: Can psychological therapies help?

The Bottom Line

• Currently, 2.6 million adults aged 20 and over live with a diagnosis of heart disease in Canada, and many of them also battle anxiety and depression. 
• Two examples of heart disease include heart failure and coronary heart disease, which impact the heart’s pumping abilities and blood flow, respectively.
• Psychological therapies can help those living with heart failure or coronary heart disease reduce anxiety and depression and improve aspects of quality of life related to mental health.

Let’s have a heart-to-heart about heart health and mental health. 

Across Canada, 2.6 million adults aged 20 plus live with a diagnosis of heart disease. This means that heart disease affects a staggering 1 in 12 (1). 

Simply put, heart disease is an umbrella term that covers a variety of conditions that impact the structural components of the heart and how it works. Peeking under this umbrella, we see disorders affecting the rhythm of the heart (arrhythmias), flow of blood to the heart (coronary heart disease), ability of the heart to pump blood (heart failure), and more (2;3). 

For many of us, when we think of heart disease, our minds quickly jump to the physical challenges that accompany such a diagnosis and must be managed daily. We may bypass what it means for a person’s mental health, which also has implications for quality of life (2). However, the stats put the spotlight back on this issue and why it needs to be discussed. Take for example atrial fibrillation (a type of arrhythmia), coronary heart disease, and heart failure, it’s estimated that nearly 40% of all people diagnosed with these three conditions experience anxiety and depression (2;4-6). That’s almost half! But what can be done for these folks specifically?

A recent systematic review looking at psychological therapies, which aim to help people think, feel, and behave more positively, may have some answers (2).

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