Sunday, April 19, 2009

Depression and Anger Linked to Heart Disease

The Scriptures surely have plenty to say about anger and depression is sometimes defined as anger turned inward. Consider these words:

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath - Psalm 37:8

Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense - Proverbs 19:11

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice - Ephesians 4:26

Surely God knows these human bodies cannot take the toll of anger extended or held within. This isn't news to those who understand the link between mind, body and spirit, but medical research is now seeing it also. There have been two studies published in March 2009 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Here's an excerpt from an online article:

Highlights from the studies include:

* Depression and heart disease: Sudden cardiac death may be more than twice as common among women with symptoms of major depression than women who aren't depressed. This finding comes from a study of more than 63,000 U.S. female nurses followed from 1992 to 2004. The nurses had no history of heart disease when the study started. The study also linked sudden cardiac death to antidepressant use, but it's not clear if that's related to the drugs or the depression.

* Anger/hostility and heart disease: Chronically angry or hostile adults with no history of heart disease may be 19% more likely than their peers to develop heart disease. And angry or hostile heart disease patients may be 24% more likely than other heart disease patients to have a poor prognosis. These findings came from reviewers who pooled data from 44 studies conducted in America, Europe, Asia, and Australia between 1983 and 2006.

The reports don't prove that depression, anger, or hostility caused heart disease. But the findings held regardless of other heart disease risk factors, suggesting a stubborn link among those traits.

It's a connection that doctors and patients need to take seriously and talk about, heart experts tell WebMD.

"There is clearly a link between depression, anger, anxiety, stress, and outcomes in heart disease," says Philip Binkley, Wilson professor of medicine at The Ohio State University's division of cardiovascular medicine.

Read the entire article at WebMD.com:
www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20090309/heart-disease-tied-to-depression-anger

1 comment:

Julia Barrete said...

hey i also agree with you that anger and depression are linked together. surely they are, that is why they are meant to be dealt together only. you need to know the correct method. the information which you have provided above is really awesome and i feel that you have done a great job.
juliabarrete

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