There is a link between heart disease and depression.
Depressed post-menopausal women have a 50% greater risk of developing or dying from heart disease than those who are not depressed, raising the possibility that treating the mind could help the body fight cardiovascular ills. This finding came from a four-year government study of 100,000 women across the United States. What is most striking is that depression was found to be an independent risk factor for subsequent cardiovascular death.
Obviously, volatile emotions such as anger and hostility are bad for your heart’s health. But studies have also shown that some of the quieter emotions can be just as toxic and damaging. Dr. Dean Ornish said, “Study after study has shown that people who feel lonely, depressed, and isolated are many times more likely to get sick and die prematurely, not only of heart disease but from virtually all causes, than those who have a sense of connection, love, and community.”
In cases of depression, women outnumber men 2-1. Women seem to adopt the “tend and befriend” attitude; they internalize their anger and disappointment instead of expressing these emotions, and they become nicer and more nurturing. Quiet people who hold everything in can experience a great increase in stress reactions. Women commonly put themselves last on the list and feel too pressed for time to exercise or give themselves down time. (Research in this area was conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and cited in the New England Journal of Medicine.)
