Depression in Long Term Care Heart Patients Often Goes Untreated
Cardiologists, other doctors and long term care
staff might be missing the big picture as one survey suggests
that only a third of heart disease patients with serious
symptoms of depression or anxiety get any treatment.
The findings are significant because psychological problems have
been linked to poorer health and higher death rates in heart
disease patients. Unfortunately, long term care residents and
other heart patients just aren't being screened because
physicians are just focused on the heart disease and don't think
about other factors that could contribute to the condition. We know that heart attack survivors suffer from psychological
distress twice as much as the general population and, with
congestive heart failure patients, who are often residing in
nursing homes, the figure is twice that?Staggering!
However, only about one third of heart disease patients who report the
symptoms are ever treated by a mental-health provider. This is
appalling because research suggests that psychological problems
often contribute to the onset of heart disease and worsen its
progression. It's not entirely clear how psychological distress
and heart disease are connected. However, there is some
speculation that psychological symptoms may contribute to blood
clots or make the heart beat less efficiently.
Since the overwhelming amount of long term care residents are women, it's
important for staff to note that women with mild and moderate
depression are 50 percent more likely to have heart attacks than
are other women. It's also crucial to note that depression and
anxiety are frequent responses to traumatic events, such as the
life-threatening and chronically debilitating illnesses, which
are often seen in long term care settings. The seriousness of
these symptoms is usually proportional to their duration and
depth and the degree to which they compromise the resident's
life quality and/or participation in the treatment process. Triggers for referral for a psychological evaluation include
symptoms that have continued for more than two weeks or
significantly impair functioning, life quality or participation
in prescribed treatment programs. The role of heart doctors in
detecting psychological problems in their patients who are long
term care residents is a big problem. They often don't have
time because of the new emphasis on quick turnaround and high
productivity. That places the onus squarely on the long term
care staff who see the resident every day. One remedial protocol to identify the residents who really need help might be
for nurses and other staff members to help screen residents
before they meet with their cardiologists. Neglecting
identification and treatment of psychological symptoms in
residents with heart disease is very unfortunate because doctors
now have effective tools to treat psychological problems, which
might lead to a lessening of both the psychological distress and
cardiac dysfunction. Copyright 2005, M. Shery http://www.nursinghomes.md/ Dr. Michael Shery is the founder of Long Term Care Specialists in Psychology, a mental health firm specializing in consulting to the long term care industry. Its
website, http://www.NursingHomes.MD provides state-of-the-art mental health treatment, facility staffing and career information to long term care professionals. To get a copy of the special report, "How to Reduce Resident Agitation Using Strength-Embedded Counseling," email: drmike@nursinghomes.md and put "Special Report" in the subject field. Reprint Instructions Box: You may reprint this article only in its entirety and as long as you leave all links in place, don't modify the content and include the resource box as listed.
MORE RESOURCES:
Arizona Power Yoga offers Yoga with a kickKOLD-TV, AZ - 4 hours agoIf you're tight and lack overall flexibility, the last thing you should attempt is yoga, right? Wrong. At least, according the owner of the new Arizona ... |
Martha's Vineyard Magazine |
Finding your yogaMartha's Vineyard Magazine, MA - 6 hours agoJust like Goldilocks trying to find the right porridge and bed, this writer had to sample different styles of yoga before settling into a groove that worked ... |
Princess Cruises unveils yoga for kidsUSA Today - Aug 28, 2008Still, yoga for kids? That's the Big New Thing this week at Princess Cruises, which announced it is rolling out what it bills as the industry's first yoga ... |
The Australian |
Healthy habitatsThe Australian, Australia - 6 hours agoOrder personal meditation and yoga instructors; yoga mats and well-being DVDs are provided. Guests are encouraged to co-design bespoke detox meals with the ... |
Karate, yoga offered for special needs kidsABC7Chicago.com, USA - 18 hours agoKarate and yoga both focus on building core strength, flexibility and balance. "Yoga from a more calming, relaxation aspect and karate from a little more ... |
DNC Bloggers Choose Yoga, Not CheetosU.S. News & World Report, DC - Aug 27, 2008They're twittering away in the "Big Tent," an 8000-square-foot structure with morning yoga sessions and late-afternoon happy hours. ... |
Yoga - Google News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Put an End to Depression
Depression can have many, many faces. If you are not aware of your feelings and emotions on a daily basis then it can creep up on you and cause misery in your life when you least expect it.
Hurricane Recovery: Steps to Start Putting Your Life Back in Order
It seems unreal, another major storm hitting Florida after experiencing four last year. The beginning of hurricane season, Floridians were just starting to get past the destructive events that caused many of people stress and even, depression.
How Do You Know if You Have Manic-Depression
Nancy was doing very well until about two years ago when Phil, her boyfriend of 9 years, broke-up with her. It was a difficult moment for her especially after she learned that Phil eventually married her cousin.
Antidepressants 101- What You Absolutely Need to Know
IntroductionChange in social and economical states throughout the world although has brought prosperity among the individuals of the world but at a price. It has brought both physical and mental stressors.
What's The Latest on Suicide Risk and Antidepressants For Children?
FDA confirms some antidepressants increase suicide risk in some children. In February of 2004, two advisory committees of the U.
5 Super Effective Tips To Kill Depression
Being lonely is a normal part of our everyday lives. We get sad when we fail in our exams, when we're rejected by the person we love, or when someone very close to us passes away.
Efficacy and Safety of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Depression Published in Journal
On September 1st, the efficacy and safety of vagus nerve stimulation for depresssion was published in the prestigious peer reviewed journal of Biological Psychiatry.The data from the pivotal clinical trial of vagus nerve stimulation and depression was been on published September 1st, in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal of Biological Psychiatry.
FDA Approves Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Treatment for Depression
On July 15th, 2005, the U.S.
Depression in Teenagers: Now What Can We Do?
No doubt you have seen the recent news headlines about a federal panel that recommended to the FDA that anti-depressant medications carry the strongest possible warning label for use in children and teenagers. This recommendation to the FDA shook the medical community, especially those who work with depressed young people.
New Treatment for Depression to be Presented at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting
Within the next few weeks, the FDA is expected to issue its final approval of a medical breakthrough treatment for chronic or treatment-resistant depression. This new therapy will be presented at the American Psychiatric Association's Annual Meeting in Atlanta from May 21st-May 25th.
Are you suffering from Depression?
Millions of people sufferaround the world from a depressive illness. They think that depression is just a normal occurrence in their lives, which will go away after a short while.
Reclaiming Your Life From Anxiety Symptoms
Only somebody who has lived with anxiety - as either a sufferer or a carer - knows how devastating it can be. The affect can be seen and felt across every aspect of your life for years and years.
10 Simple Coping Strategies When a Family Member Has Clinical Depression
1.Remember that it is an illness:Clinical depression often requires medical supervision as well as professional treatment.
Turn Depression into Joy
Depression is the most prevalent disease of our time. Under the guise of informing the public, both the medical profession and the media are constantly "warning" us of the dangers and probabilities of the disease most likely to terminate us.
Quick Steps To Reduce Your Worries
Looking for a way to reduce the amount of worrying you do?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker, author and TV show host, who specializes in quick tips on how to move your life ahead even faster, offers the following advice.
Chronic Depression: Disease or Charcter Flaw?
A major survey on depression symptoms from the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), released in july 2001, revealed a
dramatic degree of progress in public understanding. Yet even amid this promising trend, the survey sheds light on the
difficulties faced by millions of people striving to manage this sometimes chronic, life-long illness.
Anxiety and Depression - Why Depression Drugs May Not Be Necessary - Fight Depression Naturally
Millions of people, especially in the United States, are currently suffering the symptoms of depression, and have even gone as far as taking prescription antidepressants that may have harmful side effects and dampen the quality of their life in other ways in the hopes it will just go away.The fact is, many prescription antidepressant drugs do have undesirable side effects that really can affect other areas of your life, but they are looked at by many as "the lesser of two evils".
Mental Health Stigma - What Can We Do About It?
What is Stigma? Stigma is the use of stereotypes and labels when describing someone, and it is often attached to people who suffer from mental health issues. We don't fully understand how the brain works yet, but one thing we DO know is that it is an organ.
How to Uncover the Reason You Cant Sleep Tonight
If you are like me ..
Acidity Depresses Thyriod Function
THE RISKAccumulation of acids in your body, due to insufficient digestion of food, food allergies and consumption of acid-forming substances, can depress thyroid function. Acid-related causes of hypothyroidism also include exposure to heavy metals and toxic chemicals in the water supply and in highly processed food.
|
