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Summary
Summary
Why is depression bad for heart disease? And how does heart disease contribute to depression? And why is treatment for depressed people with heart disease so often inadequate? Through personal vignettes, accessible scientific explanations, and medical illustrations, Treating the Aching Heart traces the vicious cycle of depression and heart disease and points the way to better care based on cutting-edge science. The book presents a new view of depression as a broad-reaching illness with a distinct neurobiology that influences the most up-to-date model of heart disease. Treating the Aching Heart provides a window into the most studied mind-body problem, the interaction between the brain and the heart. Though many mysteries remain, in no other area is the relationship between a mental disorder and a physical disorder better understood than in the study of depression and heart disease. Anyone who has suffered from depression (about one in four U.S. adults) or some form of heart disease (also about one in four), or has a close family member with either problem, will find this book a useful guide to treatment.
Author Notes
Lawson R. Wulsin, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the University of Cincinnati, husband of a public health physician, and father of four sons, balances his work among patient care, teaching, research on psychosomatic medicine, and directing a residency training program in psychiatry and family medicine. He writes a weekly column, "Mind Matters," for the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Wulsin, a professor of psychiatry and family medicine at the University of Cincinnati, offers a welcome addition to the literature on the mutual impact of body and mind in this look at how depression contributes to heart disease and vice versa. Written in an informal tone and balancing scientific data with patient checklists and case studies, this book is meant for patients and doctors alike. He tells, for instance, of Bea Hook, a middle-aged woman he was treating only for depression until he realized she had serious risk factors for heart disease that could be exacerbated by her depression. But the author cushions such information with helpful "Clinical Tips" for the average reader: for example, "Learn how depression affects your risks for heart disease"; "Chart the course of your depression over your lifetime"; "Insist on comprehensive treatment of heart disease." Wulsin discusses possible single and combination treatments, which include medication, psychotherapy, light therapy and pets. Wulsin has effectively melded science with a popular approach to drive home the need for improved awareness and improved care for heart disease and depression and similarly connected diseases. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Library Journal Review
Writing for educated lay readers, Wulsin, an academic psychiatrist specializing in psychosomatic medicine, explains how depression's stresses can adversely affect a heart patient's prognosis. Doctors working in classically separate mental and physical health systems might overlook developing symptoms of heart disease in depressed patients or fail to check for depression in patients with heart disease. With straightforward clinical tips, Wulsin suggests ways that patients and their doctors can detect and treat both conditions. His scope is wide, drawing on both Eastern and Western traditions for treatment decisions, including diet, vitamins, herbs, exercise, pets, light therapy, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, and medication. Recognizing human nature's resistance to behavior change, he realistically allows that making a few small changes is better than making none. In the final chapter, he proposes integrating mental health services into primary-care practices. Well-annotated chapter notes, appendixes, and references are good sources for additional information. Clear, engaging, nicely researched, and authoritative, the book features anecdotes and touches of humor that enhance its readability. Highly recommended for academic, special, or larger public libraries.-Lois K. Merry, Keene State Coll. Lib., NH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
