- In addition to affecting psychological well-being, mental health conditions can also interfere with the body’s autonomic functions, creating physiological problems.
- Previous studies have found that people with mental disorders healthy conditions they commonly experience reduced heart rate variation (HRV), which may indicate a poor response to stress.
- A new systematic review establishes a link between mental illness and highly fluctuating blood pressure, which can lead to cardiovascular disease.
A new study has found that people with mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety may be more likely to experience cardiovascular problems.
Researchers behind it systematic reviewpublished in the magazine biomedical engineeringnoted that mental health conditions can impact autonomic functions, which can cause blood pressure to fluctuate widely.
Until now, research on the relationship between blood pressure variability (BPV) and mental illness has been limited. This is important as BPV has been associated with coronary disease.
The study also adds to existing research that establishes a link between mental health and physical well-being.
The Autonomic nervous system (ANS) is a complex network of cells that regulate involuntary physiological processes such as maintaining a constant internal temperature, regulating breathing patterns, keeping blood pressure constant, and moderating heart rate.
Autonomic dysfunction is associated with a increased risk from cardiovascular disease.
Doctors test heart rate variability (HRV), which is controlled by the ANS, to see the length of time between heartbeats. Having a constantly changing heart rate has been linked to having a healthy regulatory system.
Consequently, a series of studies have reported an association between reduced HRV and depression and anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
For their review, the researchers searched four electronic databases for studies investigating BPV in people with mental illness who did not have hypertension. They found 12 studies that met the criteria.
Of the 12 studies, seven measured ultrashort-term BPV (beat-to-beat blood pressure measurement in seconds to minutes), three measured short-term BPV (blood pressure fluctuations that occur over a 24-hour period), and two measured long-term BPV. -term BPV (fluctuations that occur over days, weeks or even years).
Five of the studies evaluated BPV in adults aged 55 years and older, while the remaining studies evaluated BPV in adults aged 18 to 46 years.
People with depression or anxiety had high BPV in studies that measured short-term BPV. Studies that measured ultrashort-term BPV also found a significant association between BPV and mental illness.
The two studies that measured long-term BPV had mixed results, meaning the association between mental health conditions and long-term BPV is less clear.
Researchers from the University of South Australia and several Malaysian universities write that early therapeutic intervention for mental illness “may prevent illnesses associated with autonomic dysregulation and reduce the likelihood of negative cardiac outcomes.”
doctor richard wrightcardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, said Today’s medical news that the systematic review illustrates how mental illness, “at least in theory,” makes patients “more likely to have heart problems that we normally only think of as being attributable to atherosclerosisY hypertensionold age, [etc.].”
“I think that is the main importance of this type of analysis: to point out that there are physical ramifications of these emotional problems,” he said.
Dr. Wright said that additional research on what to do about the association between mental health and cardiovascular health would be useful to health professionals.
“If you have chronic depression and you have these problems where the autonomic nervous system is damaged, will it get better if your depression goes away?” she asked her.
Specifically, he said he would like to see studies on whether BPV variability is decreased by mental health treatments such as talk therapy, meditation or medication.
Dr. Cristen Wathenassistant professor in the counseling department at the University of Palo Alto, was not surprised by the conclusions the researchers drew from their systematic review.
“When we are constantly under chronic stress, which is typical of people who have been diagnosed with [anxiety and depression]so our bodies are releasing stress hormones, cortisol, epinephrine,” he said. MNT.
“If we are in that constant state of chronic stress [due to anxiety and depression]then that will relate to our physical health.”
— Dr. Cristen Wathen
Dr. Wathen said that she would have liked to see more detailed information about the races and socioeconomic levels of the study participants.
“There are so many things related to poverty, oppression, trauma, such as generational trauma and access to health care, that can also lead to more experiences of chronic stress,” he noted.
Even without that information, however, Dr. Wathen felt the study highlighted a weakness in the American health care system.
“It speaks to the need for more integrated care and coordination between mental health professionals and medical professionals because of the relationship between our physical health and our mental health,” he said.
