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Background: Guidelines call for pregnant people to be screened for depression and anxiety. Screening may be particularly important for pregnant Black individuals who are reported to be more likely than non-Hispanic White pregnant people to experience prenatal stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study was to determine if depression, anxiety, and stress co-occur in pregnant Black people and to identify which demographic factors are related to these mental health concerns., Methods: A subset analysis of an ongoing randomized controlled trial examined the risk of coexisting mental health conditions in pregnant Black people who screened eligible to participate (that is, they had high levels of depression, anxiety, and/or stress) in two urban clinics using a descriptive correlational design., Results: Of the 452 pregnant Black people who were screened for eligibility, 194 (42.9%) had elevated scores on depression, anxiety, and/or stress measures and were enrolled in the larger study. The average scores of the 194 enrolled participants were anxiety, mean (M) = 9.16 (standard deviation [SD] = 4.30); depression, M = 12.80 (SD = 4.27); and stress, M = 21.79 (SD = 4.76). More than one-third (n = 70, 36.1%) experienced two symptoms and 64 (33.0%) reported all three symptoms., Conclusion: Pregnant Black individuals experience high levels of comorbid mental health distress including depression, anxiety, and stress. The findings indicate that treatment for mental health concerns needs to be broad-based and effective for all three conditions. Prenatal interventions should aim to address mental health distress through screening and treatment of depression, anxiety, and stress, especially for pregnant Black individuals. This study furthers understanding of the prevalence of prenatal mental health conditions in pregnant Black people., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: We examined the modifying effects of social support on depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients receiving coping skills training (CST)., Method: We considered the modifying effects of social support in the Coping Effectively with Heart Failure clinical trial, which randomized 179 heart failure (HF) patients to either 4 months of CST or usual care enhanced by HF education (HFE). CST involved training in specific coping techniques, whereas HFE involved education about HF self-management. Social support was assessed by the Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease (ENRICHD) Social Support Inventory, QoL was assessed with the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ), and depression was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)., Results: Linear regression models revealed a significant Intervention Group × Baseline Social Support interaction for change in KCCQ total scores (p = .006) and BDI-II scores (p < .001). Participants with low social support assigned to the CST intervention showed large improvements in KCCQ scores (M = 11.2, 95% CI [5.7, 16.8]), whereas low-social-support patients assigned to the HFE controls showed no significant change (M = -0.8, 95% CI [-7.2, 5.6]). Similarly, BDI-II scores in participants with low social support in the CST group showed large reductions (M = -8.7, 95% CI [-11.3, -6.1]) compared with low-social-support HFE participants (M = -3.0, 95% CI [-6.0, -0.1])., Conclusions: HF patients with low social support benefit substantially from telephone-based CST interventions. Targeting HF patients with low social support for behavioral interventions could prove to be a cost-effective strategy for improving QoL and reducing depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Variation in pain intensity and magnitude of disability among patients with musculoskeletal illness is largely accounted for by variations in symptoms of depression, catastrophic thinking, and heightened illness concern. It is possible that patients with greater stress, distress, and less effective coping strategies might be more likely to seek the use of Complementary Health Approaches (CHA). This study addressed the primary null hypothesis that there are no demographic, illness-related, or psychological factors associated with CHA use among patients with upper extremity illness. Methods: A cohort of 170 patients completed a web-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) questionnaire the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Depression and Pain Interference questionnaires. We evaluated differences between patients who sought CAM treatment regarding the PROMIS Pain Interference and PROMIS Depression scores. Ninety-four patients (56%) use or plan to use CAM treatment. A CAM provider was consulted by 61 patients (37%): most commonly a massage therapist (30/61), chiropractor (26/61), or acupuncturist (14/61). Results: In bivariate analysis patients who sought CAM reported greater average PROMIS Pain Interference than those who did not. In multivariable logistic regression, CAM use was associated with a higher Pain Interference Score and the specific surgeon. Conclusion: In conclusion, CHA use is prevalent amongst orthopaedic patients and associated with less effective coping strategies. Orthopaedic surgeons might consider asking patients about CHA use and determining whether those patients are interested in cognitive behavioral therapy., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the associations between depressive symptoms and mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia (MSIMI) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD)., Methods: Adult patients with documented CHD were recruited for baseline mental stress and exercise stress screening testing as a part of the enrollment process of the Responses of Myocardial Ischemia to Escitalopram Treatment trial. Patients were administered the Beck Depression Inventory II and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. After a 24-48-hour β-blocker withdrawal, participants completed three mental stress tests followed by a treadmill exercise test. Ischemia was defined as a) any development or worsening of any wall motion abnormality and b) reduction of left ventricular ejection fraction at least 8% by transthoracic echocardiography and/or ischemic ST-segment change by electrocardiography during stress testing. MSIMI was considered present when ischemia occurred in at least one mental test. Data were analyzed using logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, and resting left ventricular ejection fraction., Results: One hundred twenty-five (44.2%) of 283 patients were found to have MSIMI, and 93 (32.9%) had ESIMI. Unadjusted analysis showed that Beck Depression Inventory II scores were positively associated with the probability of MSIMI (odds ratio = 0.1.30: 95% confidence interval = 1.06-1.60, p = .013) and number of MSIMI-positive tasks (all p < .005). These associations were still significant after adjustment for covariates (p values <.05)., Conclusions: In patients with CHD, depressive symptoms were associated with a higher probability of MSIMI. These observations may enhance our understanding of the mechanisms contributing to the association of depressive symptoms to future cardiovascular events. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00574847.

Introduction: A pilot trial was carried out to determine if a focussed narrative interview could alleviate the components of suffering and anxiety and depression in advanced cancer patients., Intervention: Patients recruited were invited to participate in a focussed narrative interview and reflect on their perspectives on their sense of "meaning", regarding suffering and their psychological, physical, social and spiritual well being - the emphasis was on allowing the patient to tell their story. Patients were encouraged to share what resources they themselves had utilised in addition to what professional care they may have received, to maintain a sense of well being., Method: Patients with advanced metastatic disease were recruited from hospices in the North West of England - the only exclusion criteria were not being able to understand written and spoken English and a non cancer diagnosis. At recruitment patients were asked to complete a numerical scale for suffering; the Brief Edinburgh Depression Scale, Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), FACIT Spiritual well being questionnaire, Demographic information was collected and patients were randomised to either the intervention arm of the trial or the usual care arm of the study. Patients in both groups were invited to complete each measure at 2, 4 and 8 weeks., Results: One hundred people were recruited into the study - 49 were randomised to intervention group and 51 to control group. The median age of patients was 66 years age range (31-89 years) and 68% of patients were female. At baseline the ECOG performance of 75% of patients recruited was 1 or 2. The median survival of all patients in the study was 169.5 days (range 10 days to still alive at end of study). There was no significant difference at any timepoint in scores on suffering measure between intervention group and control group. At each time point the intervention demonstrated mean improvement in scores for depression and anxiety on ESAS - the greatest changes for both depression and anxiety were seen at 4 weeks., Conclusion: This pilot randomised controlled trial of a focussed narrative intervention demonstrated an improvement in mean changes in scores for depression and anxiety at 2, 4, and 8 weeks. We suggest this intervention may have beneficial effects on depression and anxiety, but a larger powered trial is required to determine the full effects., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Depression has been related to mortality in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients, but few studies have evaluated the role of anxiety or the role of the co-occurrence of depression and anxiety. We examined whether anxiety is associated with increased risk of mortality after accounting for depression in individuals with established CHD., Methods and Results: The cohort was composed of 934 men and women with confirmed CHD (mean age, 62±11 years) who completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) during hospitalization for coronary angiography. Over the 3-year follow-up period, there were 133 deaths. Elevated scores on the HADS anxiety subscale (HADS-A≥8) were associated with increased risk of mortality after accounting for established risk factors including age, congestive heart failure, left ventricular ejection fraction, 3-vessel disease, and renal disease (hazard ratio [HR], 2.27; 95% CI, 1.55 to 3.33; P<0.001). Elevated scores on the HADS depression subscale (HADS-D≥8) were also associated with increased risk of mortality (HR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.47 to 3.22; P<0.001). When both psychosocial factors were included in the model, each maintained an association with mortality (anxiety, HR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.18 to 2.83; P=0.006; depression, HR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.06 to 2.58; P=0.025). Estimation of the HR for patients with both anxiety and depression versus those with neither revealed a larger HR than for patients with either factor alone (HR, 3.10; 95% CI, 1.95 to 4.94; P<0.001)., Conclusions: Anxiety is associated with increased risk of mortality in CHD patients, particularly when comorbid with depression. Future studies should focus on the co-occurrence of these psychosocial factors as markers of increased mortality risk.

Context: Depression is common in patients with cardiac disease, especially in patients with heart failure, and is associated with increased risk of adverse health outcomes. Some evidence suggests that aerobic exercise may reduce depressive symptoms, but to our knowledge the effects of exercise on depression in patients with heart failure have not been evaluated., Objective: To determine whether exercise training will result in greater improvements in depressive symptoms compared with usual care among patients with heart failure., Design, Setting, and Participants: Multicenter, randomized controlled trial involving 2322 stable patients treated for heart failure at 82 medical clinical centers in the United States, Canada, and France. Patients who had a left ventricular ejection fraction of 35% or lower, had New York Heart Association class I to IV heart failure, and had completed the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) score were randomized (1:1) between April 2003 and February 2007. Depressive scores ranged from 0 to 59; scores of 14 or higher are considered clinically significant., Interventions: Participants were randomized either to supervised aerobic exercise (goal of 90 min/wk for months 1-3 followed by home exercise with a goal of ≥120 min/wk for months 4-12) or to education and usual guideline-based heart failure care., Main Outcome Measures: Composite of death or hospitalization due to any cause and scores on the BDI-II at months 3 and 12., Results: Over a median follow-up period of 30 months, 789 patients (68%) died or were hospitalized in the usual care group compared with 759 (66%) in the aerobic exercise group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.89; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.99; P = .03). The median BDI-II score at study entry was 8, with 28% of the sample having BDI-II scores of 14 or higher. Compared with usual care, aerobic exercise resulted in lower mean BDI-II scores at 3 months (aerobic exercise, 8.95; 95% CI, 8.61 to 9.29 vs usual care, 9.70; 95% CI, 9.34 to 10.06; difference, -0.76; 95% CI,-1.22 to -0.29; P = .002) and at 12 months (aerobic exercise, 8.86; 95% CI, 8.67 to 9.24 vs usual care, 9.54; 95% CI, 9.15 to 9.92; difference, -0.68; 95% CI, -1.20 to -0.16; P = .01)., Conclusions: Compared with guideline-based usual care, exercise training resulted in a modest reduction in depressive symptoms, although the clinical significance of this improvement is unknown., Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00047437.

Background: Sertraline, a selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor, has demonstrated substantial mood improvement in patients with post myocardial infarction or with unstable angina. The impact of sertraline on the prognosis and depression of patients with chronic heart failure (HF) and comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD) is unknown., Method: This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to assess the safety and efficacy of sertraline in the treatment of MDD in patients with HF. The study is designed also to examine the effects of treating depression on cardiac events and morbidity/mortality in patients with HF. Approximately 500 men and women who are >or=45 years of age with current MDD and chronic systolic HF, characterized by left ventricular ejection fraction or=II, comprise the study population. Eligible participants are randomized to either sertraline or placebo for a 12-week acute treatment phase. All patients, regardless of acute treatment phase completion, are followed routinely until the last subject completes 6-month follow-up. Quality of life and certain physiologic parameters, as well as pro-inflammatory and HF biomarkers, that may reflect the impact of sertraline in this particular population are measured at baseline and at the end of the acute treatment phase., Conclusion: Because of the high prevalence of depression and its significant adverse impact on prognosis of patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and HF, the Safety and Efficacy of Sertraline for Depression in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure (SADHART-CHF) trial aims to assess the effects of sertraline on response of depression as well as on the cardiac prognosis of patients with HF.

Background: Patients with myocardial infarction (MI) are at further increased risk for untoward events when patients also exhibit low social support and/or depression. The ENRICHD study was the largest controlled trial in post-MI patients attempting to treat these psychological comorbidities and provides an opportunity to examine the medical and psychological characteristics that may affect risk in this population., Methods: We analyzed the baseline characteristics and their relationship to the primary end point of long-term mortality and recurrent infarction and to the secondary end points of overall mortality and cardiovascular mortality in 2481 post-MI patients. Cox proportional hazards models were used to predict the risk of these outcomes over a mean of 2.5 years of follow-up., Results: Death or nonfatal MI occurred in 24.1%, all-cause mortality in 13.7%, and cardiovascular mortality in 8.4% of the sample (62% of the total). Age, heart failure, pulmonary disease, Killip class, ejection fraction, an elevated creatinine, the use of non-angiotensin-coverting enzyme asodilators, prior MI, diabetes, depression, and bypass surgery after acute MI were all significant multivariable predictors., Conclusions: The medical predictors of adverse events in post-MI patients with low social support and/or depression were similar to those of patients with MI in other clinical trials.

Background: Clinical depression is associated with an increased risk for mortality in patients with a recent myocardial infarction (MI). Reduced heart rate variability (HRV) has been suggested as a possible explanation for this association. The purpose of this study was to determine if depression is associated with reduced HRV in patients with a recent MI., Methods and Results: Three hundred eighty acute MI patients with depression and 424 acute MI patients without depression were recruited. All underwent 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring after hospital discharge. In univariate analyses, 4 indices of HRV were significantly lower in patients with depression than in patients without depression. Variables associated with HRV were then compared between patients with and without depression, and potential confounds were identified. These variables (age, sex, diabetes, and present cigarette smoking) were entered into an analysis of covariance model, followed by depression status. In the final model, all but one HRV index (high-frequency power) remained significantly lower in patients with depression than in patients without depression., Conclusions: We conclude that greater autonomic dysfunction, as reflected by decreased HRV, is a plausible mechanism linking depression to increased cardiac mortality in post-MI patients.

Recently, clinical depression has been identified as an independent risk factor for increased mortality in patients following acute coronary events. Although the underlying mechanisms of this link remain uncertain, increased platelet activity has been suggested but never proven as the mechanism responsible for this association. Sertraline hydrochloride is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), and is an effective antidepressant agent. Its major liver metabolite, N-desmethylsertraline (NDMS), is known to be neurologically inactive. We assessed the in vitro effects of escalating concentrations of sertraline and NDMS on human platelets by aggregometry in plasma and whole blood, by expression of major surface receptors with flow cytometry in washed cells and in the whole blood, and quantitatively by various platelet function analysers in healthy volunteers and patients with coronary artery disease. Pretreatment of blood samples with sertraline and NDMS resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of platelet-rich plasma aggregation induced by 5 microM ADP (P =, 0.002), by 10 microM ADP (P = 0.0017), by collagen (P = 0.008), and by thrombin (P = 0.026). Whole blood platelet aggregability was also significantly reduced when induced by 20 microM ADP (P = 0.006), and by collagen (P = 0.01). Surface expression of CD9 (P = 0.004), GP Ib (P = 0.0001), GP IIb/IIIa (P = 0.007), VLA-2 (P = 0.01), P-selectin (P = 0.02), and PECAM-1 (P = 0.01), but not the vitronectin receptor, was also reduced in sertraline and NDMS pretreated washed platelets. Whole blood flow cytometry revealed significant inhibition of GP IIb/IIIa (P = 0.008), and P-selectin expression (P = 0.0001) in NDMS treated samples. Closure time was delayed for the collagen-ADP cartridge (P = 0.009), and for the collagen-epinephrin cartridge (P = 0.01), indicating platelet inhibition in whole blood under high shear conditions. Rapid platelet-function assay revealed a decreased (P = 0.002) ability of platelets to agglutinate fibrinogen-coated beads, suggesting GP IIb/IIIa inhibition. Both sertraline, and its neurologically inactive metabolite NDMS, exhibited significant dose-dependent inhibition of human platelets. The documented anti-platelet effects of sertraline and NDMS may be directly related to the mortality benefits of SSRIs after ischemic events including myocardial infarction and stroke., (Copyright 2001 Academic Press.)

Major depression is a common comorbidity associated with ischemic heart disease (IHD). There is growing evidence that psychological stress in general and depression in particular predispose to cardiovascular disease. Persons who have mental stress during daily life are at twice the risk of myocardial ischemia, and patients with post-myocardial infarction depression have higher mortality rates than nondepressed controls. These data suggest a psychophysiologic mechanism underlying the vulnerability of depressed patients to IHD. Clinical studies have demonstrated that depression is associated with a much higher risk of both cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, which could be caused by platelet activation. Physicians should maintain a heightened level of clinical suspicion for depression and depressive disorders in persons with IHD, particularly those individuals who are recovering from an acute ischemic event, such as myocardial infarction. Furthermore, depression may complicate the recovery of IHD, but in most cases depression can be effectively treated with antidepressant agents.

Background: Depression is common among patients with cardiac disease. A number of psychosocial factors may affect the relationship between physical health and depression. There is evidence from the psychiatric literature suggesting that negative life events and social support are important factors in the development and outcome of depression. It is unknown if these factors are important in the context of depression in medically ill patients. Thus it is important to examine the relationship among social support, negative life events, and the presence of depression in elderly patients with cardiac disease., Methods: Patients with coronary artery disease were assessed with the Duke Depression Evaluation Schedule for the Elderly. This includes the mood and anxiety disorder section of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule modified for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnoses, life events, and multidimensional assessment of social support. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) the number of concurrent negative life events will be higher in patients with coronary artery disease with major depression than those without depression, and (2) social support will be less in patients with major depression than in those without., Results: Presence of major depression was associated with increased negative life events and lowered subjective social support after accounting for age, sex, and race., Conclusions: The finding that subjective social support and negative life events are related to major depression suggests that even in the context of medical illness, social factors are still important in the development of major depression.

Previous research has established that patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) have an increased risk of death if they are depressed at the time of hospitalization. Follow-up periods have been short in these studies; therefore, the present investigation examined this phenomenon over an extended period of time. Patients with established CAD (n = 1,250) were assessed for depression with the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and followed for subsequent mortality. Follow-up ranged up to 19.4 years. SDS scores were associated with increased risk of subsequent cardiac death (p = 0.002) and total mortality (p < 0.001) after controlling for initial disease severity and treatment. Patients with moderate to severe depression had a 69% greater odds of cardiac death and a 78% greater odds of mortality from all causes than nondepressed patients. Increased risk was not confined to the initial months after hospitalization. Patients with high SDS scores at baseline still had a higher risk of cardiac death > 5 years later (p < 0.005). Compared with the nondepressed, patients with moderate to severe depression had an 84% greater risk 5 to 10 years later and a 72% greater risk after > 10 years. Patients with mild depression had intermediate levels of risk in all models. The heightened long-term risk of depressed patients suggests that depression may be persistent or frequently recurrent in CAD patients and is associated with CAD progression, triggering of acute events, or both.