Cardiovascular disease

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mental disorders are leading causes of death and disability worldwide, underscoring the importance of prevention and intervention. This chapter provides an expansive and cogent review of the psychological impact of CVD which includes common mental disorders and psychological states such as depression, anxiety, trauma, and adjustment difficulties. Moreover, broader psychosocial risk factors for CVD and clustering of risk factors are overviewed, such as environmental stress, occupational stress and socio-economic status. In doing so, this section outlines key biological and behavioural mechanisms linking psychosocial factors and CVD, both prognostically and aetiologically. The clinical implications are also described, including the requisite screening tools for enhanced identification of CVD patients requiring psychosocial intervention. Particular attention is paid to how best to tailor psychosocial interventions to CVD populations. A clinical overview of treatment evidence in CVD populations is also given, describing the efficacy of contemporary treatments for common risk factors such as depression. This culminates in clinical practice tips, a personal perspective, a description of likely developments in the field and suggestions for future clinical and research directions to improve psychological care in CVD.