The relation of depression to CAD is starting to become clear. We need to take note of the overlap between symptoms of depression and the consequences of the cardiac event, such as fatigue and low motivation. The symptoms of depression retard the healing process after a cardiac event, especially if the depression is not identified and treated. Many depressed patients are mistakenly labeled as
"noncompliant," whereas they are apparently unable to be compliant for good reasonthey are depressed.
We have mentioned the link between depression and CAD outcome following an event like heart attack. Research suggests that those with depression are more liable to die in the six months following a heart attack than are the nondepressed. These studies are not very large, but the finding is consistent. We do not fully understand the mechanism behind the connection between clinical depression and cardiac outcome; this is still being studied, and the link with outcome is less clear, especially for those who have not had a heart attack but have had other cardiac events.