A growing body of research has shown the connection between our emotional well-being and physical health. Among the latest findings: Schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and major depressive and anxiety disorders can greatly increase a person's risk of heart disease and stroke.
In a study presented at this year's Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Vancouver, Canada, researchers examined connections between mental-health conditions, use of psychiatric medication, and heart health using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey. Medical News Today reports:
They found that patients who had a mental illness at any point in their life were twice as likely to have had a stroke or experienced heart disease than the general population, while patients who had not experienced heart disease or stroke had a higher long-term risk of cardiovascular disease.
Furthermore, patients who used psychiatric medications for their mental illness were twice as likely to have heart disease and three times as likely to have had a stroke than those who did not use such medications.
"This population is at high risk," says [Katie Goldie, PhD, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto], "and it's even greater for people with multiple mental health issues."
Goldie and colleague said that there are three main factors that contribute to mental-health patients' increase cardiovascular risk. They are: lifestyle behaviors, such as tobacco and alcohol use, poor diet and physical inactivity; psychiatric medications, which can induce weight gain and inhibit the body from breaking down fats; and inadequate access to health care.
The findings are significant in light of statistics (.pdf) from the National Alliance of Mental Health showing that 1 in 4 adults in the United States experience a mental health disorder in annually and that serious mental illness costs the nation $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year.
Previously: Examining how mental stress on the heart affects men and women differently, Study shows link between traffic noise, heart attack and Study offers insights into how depression may harm the heart
Photo by Holly Lay
