Monika Jasinskaitė1, Justinas Balčiūnas1, Urtė Lukauskaitė1, Brigita Baks2
1 Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Medical Academy, Faculty of Medicine, Kaunas, Lithuania
2 Vilnius City Mental Health Center, Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine, Clinic of Psychiatry, Vilnius, Lithuania
Abstract
Introduction: mental disorders such as depression and anxiety are common among heart failure (HF) patients. HF is a severe condition that can lead to depression and anxiety disorders. These disorders and their symptoms are several times more common among HF than in the general population. The pathophysiological association between HF and depression and anxiety disorders is based on the psycho-organic etiology of the syndromes, therefore treatment of both, somatic disease as well as mental disorders is essential.
Aim: of this article is to reduce the gap between patients with somatic diseases, such as HF, and their mental disorders.
Methodology: a systematic review of the literature was written from the electronic database Pubmed by keyword selection of scientific publications of the last 5 years.
Conclusions: mental disorders such as depression and anxiety can occur among HF patients, often remain undiagnosed and lead to worse patient prognosis. This confirms the need to consult mental health professionals to ensure treatment and its effectiveness.
Keywords: heart failure, depression, anxiety.