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Heart Disease and Depression
What is the relationship between the two? I read something briefly about a "Heart Link Monitor" that when worn over 24 hours can diagnose if one is depressed? Is this fact or is the information still equivocal? I have a heart rate of over 105 bpm when just sitting down and one physician suggested that I suffer from depression.
From back in 1999:
Heart-rate test to measure mental disorders
The Vancouver Sun
Pamela Fayerman, Sun Health Issues Reporter Vancouver Sun
The first physical test developed to confirm mental disorders such as depression and anxiety will soon be tested on Vancouver patients.
Until now, doctors have based their diagnoses of depression on physical symptoms such as fatigue, changes in sleep and/or eating, and feelings of worthlessness.
But a Vancouver company called HeartLink Canada says a simple, Australian-designed test can confirm doctors' clinical impressions and monitor the effectiveness of drugs used to treat such mental disorders.
The test involves monitoring over a 24-hour period the heart rates of patients who wear unobtrusive, business-card sized monitors linked to a graph-generating database.
An Australian psychiatrist, Dr. Hans Stampfer, recently presented the first published study of his discovery that there is a relationship between heart-rate patterns and psychiatric status. He said people with depression and anxiety will show distinctly different heart-rate patterns during a 24-hour period than people with normal mental states.
In people who are depressed, for example, heart rates drop abruptly and spike erratically during sleep periods, while in non-depressed people, there is a gradual, stable reduction.
Robert Baldock, president of the Vancouver-based, privately-owned HeartLink Canada, which holds the North American patent on the test, said apart from identifying patients who could benefit from drug therapy, the monitoring can also be used to measure the effectiveness of medications.
Psychotherapeutic drug sales are booming and represent the second most common class of drugs sold in Canada, according to IMS Health, an information company that measures pharmaceutical industry sales.
Anti-depressants called Paxil and Zoloft, are two of the most popular drugs consumed by Canadians.
Dr. Ron Remick, a psychiatrist at St. Paul's Hospital who is acting as a consultant to HeartLink, said the test is promising, but the Australian research needs to be replicated before it can be considered scientifically valid.
"This could be a marvelously simple test, which would not be used as a substitute for clinical findings, but as an adjunct," he said.
Remick said he, like many other psychiatrists and psychologists, was skeptical when he first heard about the test.
"But the Australian research is credible and it's worthwhile pursuing to confirm the interesting preliminary findings," he said, adding that medical research has shown people with depression or anxiety have biochemical imbalances involving a deficiency or overproduction of neurotransmitters in the brain that could be tied to the heart rate changes.
Depression affects about 25 per cent of Canadians at some point in their lives.
Remick said a HeartLink-sponsored study co-ordinated by psychiatrists at St. Paul's Hospital is expected to get under way in about a month.
Dr. Peter McLean, a psychologist who heads the division of behavioral sciences in the department of psychiatry at the University of B.C., acknowledged the Australian research has not yet been seen by most North American doctors treating mental disorders.
But McLean, who serves as a director of the company, said there is good reason to find a simple test for depression.
"It's been documented that 50 per cent of clinical depression is missed at the family doctor level [either because people don't want to admit it or can't recognize it] and many people don't even get an opportunity to go to a psychiatrist or psychologist," he said.
Dr. Lance Patrick, president-elect of the B.C. Medical Association's section on psychiatry, said he is unfamiliar with the test.
"There's been some general research looking into the correlation [between heart rate and mental disorders] and maybe there's something to it, but I'd have to see a great deal more research before trusting any exceptional claims," he said.
Heart-rate test to measure mental disorders
The Vancouver Sun
Pamela Fayerman, Sun Health Issues Reporter Vancouver Sun
The first physical test developed to confirm mental disorders such as depression and anxiety will soon be tested on Vancouver patients.
Until now, doctors have based their diagnoses of depression on physical symptoms such as fatigue, changes in sleep and/or eating, and feelings of worthlessness.
But a Vancouver company called HeartLink Canada says a simple, Australian-designed test can confirm doctors' clinical impressions and monitor the effectiveness of drugs used to treat such mental disorders.
The test involves monitoring over a 24-hour period the heart rates of patients who wear unobtrusive, business-card sized monitors linked to a graph-generating database.
An Australian psychiatrist, Dr. Hans Stampfer, recently presented the first published study of his discovery that there is a relationship between heart-rate patterns and psychiatric status. He said people with depression and anxiety will show distinctly different heart-rate patterns during a 24-hour period than people with normal mental states.
In people who are depressed, for example, heart rates drop abruptly and spike erratically during sleep periods, while in non-depressed people, there is a gradual, stable reduction.
Robert Baldock, president of the Vancouver-based, privately-owned HeartLink Canada, which holds the North American patent on the test, said apart from identifying patients who could benefit from drug therapy, the monitoring can also be used to measure the effectiveness of medications.
Psychotherapeutic drug sales are booming and represent the second most common class of drugs sold in Canada, according to IMS Health, an information company that measures pharmaceutical industry sales.
Anti-depressants called Paxil and Zoloft, are two of the most popular drugs consumed by Canadians.
Dr. Ron Remick, a psychiatrist at St. Paul's Hospital who is acting as a consultant to HeartLink, said the test is promising, but the Australian research needs to be replicated before it can be considered scientifically valid.
"This could be a marvelously simple test, which would not be used as a substitute for clinical findings, but as an adjunct," he said.
Remick said he, like many other psychiatrists and psychologists, was skeptical when he first heard about the test.
"But the Australian research is credible and it's worthwhile pursuing to confirm the interesting preliminary findings," he said, adding that medical research has shown people with depression or anxiety have biochemical imbalances involving a deficiency or overproduction of neurotransmitters in the brain that could be tied to the heart rate changes.
Depression affects about 25 per cent of Canadians at some point in their lives.
Remick said a HeartLink-sponsored study co-ordinated by psychiatrists at St. Paul's Hospital is expected to get under way in about a month.
Dr. Peter McLean, a psychologist who heads the division of behavioral sciences in the department of psychiatry at the University of B.C., acknowledged the Australian research has not yet been seen by most North American doctors treating mental disorders.
But McLean, who serves as a director of the company, said there is good reason to find a simple test for depression.
"It's been documented that 50 per cent of clinical depression is missed at the family doctor level [either because people don't want to admit it or can't recognize it] and many people don't even get an opportunity to go to a psychiatrist or psychologist," he said.
Dr. Lance Patrick, president-elect of the B.C. Medical Association's section on psychiatry, said he is unfamiliar with the test.
"There's been some general research looking into the correlation [between heart rate and mental disorders] and maybe there's something to it, but I'd have to see a great deal more research before trusting any exceptional claims," he said.
I don't see how a heart monitor would diagnose depression. I do know for a fact that if you have heart problems, the chances are damn good that you will also have depression problems.
I don't believe the heart rate monitor or Heartlink as they call it can diagnose it any case. I have had a good workup but I suffer from sleep apnea, anxiety (I feel it has to do with my sleep apnea that's not being treated well), I also have a temporal lobe brain lesion that may also be affecting my behavior. It seems that depression is nowadays the catch all diagnosis when they can't pin point 100% what your is ailing you.
I'm not sure a heart monitor, alone, could determine if a person was depressed. Have you discussed your concerns with an internist? Have you had a good health workup?
I have read that there can be a correlation between heart disease and depression. However, I believe that most of the studies refer to people with significant heart disease. While I'm sure there are studies of all sorts regarding this topic, I think a good physical exam would be a great start to getting you on the right track. Keep us posted.
Have a nice day.
connie
I have read that there can be a correlation between heart disease and depression. However, I believe that most of the studies refer to people with significant heart disease. While I'm sure there are studies of all sorts regarding this topic, I think a good physical exam would be a great start to getting you on the right track. Keep us posted.
Have a nice day.
connie
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