State of the Art Review: Depression, Stress, Anxiety, and Cardiovascular Disease

The notion that psychological states can influence physical health is hardly new, and perhaps nowhere has the mind-body connection been better studied than in cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recently, large prospective epidemiologic studies and smaller basic science studies have firmly established a connection between CVD and several psychological conditions, including depression, chronic psychological stress, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety. In addition, numerous clinical trials have been conducted to attempt to prevent or lessen the impact of these conditions on cardiovascular health. In this article, we review studies connecting depression, stress/PTSD, and anxiety to CVD, focusing on…

• AH
  American Heart Association

  Award: UL1 TR000040
• NH
  National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

  Awards: UL1 TR000040, K23 HL098359, HL117832, R01 HL117832
• NC
  National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

  Awards: TR000040, UL1 TR000040