Post-SCAD Mental Health
Depression and anxiety after a heart attack are common and related to higher rates of illness and death. But heart attacks caused by arterial plaques differ dramatically from heart attacks caused by SCAD in terms of who is affected, the resources available to them, and changes in their heart function and their outcomes.
Links between SCAD and depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are unknown. This project aims to find out how often people who have had SCAD experience depression, anxiety and PTSD and how to predict these conditions.
In one study, the Mayo Clinic SCAD Research Program surveyed people who have had SCAD to screen for depression and anxiety. They included symptoms of mental and physical health in the surveys, as well as environmental, socioeconomic and clinical cardiovascular characteristics.
Overall, average survey scores showed mild depression, anxiety or both. Some people's scores suggest PTSD. Younger age was associated with higher scores, as was having SCAD before or after giving birth. Participants who were treated with procedures to open blood vessels of the heart — also called coronary angioplasty and stent placement or percutaneous coronary intervention — generally had lower scores. Patients who had high resiliency scores also showed better quality of life scores.
The research suggests that healthcare professionals who do mental health screening on their patients after SCAD may find anxiety, depression and PTSD, even if the patients have not self-reported these disorders. This shows a role for routine screening in these patients.
Mayo Clinic's SCAD Research Program also is studying possible treatments for SCAD-related mental health concerns.
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