A diagnosis of heart disease can bring lots of changes to your physical health. But for some people, the diagnosis can weigh on your mind. In fact, your mental health is a key part of treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
HOCM is a type of heart disease that causes your heart muscle to thicken. There are two types of HCM: obstructive and nonobstructive.
Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy is the most common type. It happens when muscle thickening affects the wall that divides your heart into its left and right sides.
Beyond physical symptoms like chest pain, dizziness, and shortness of breath, HOCM can be emotionally challenging.
Find out what experts know about the mind-heart connection and how caring for both can help you live better with HOCM.
The Link Between Mental Health and HOCM
Learning you have a lifelong and potentially serious heart condition can trigger different emotions — distress, guilt, shame, and grief in all of its stages, including denial, anger, and sadness.
Experts have found a strong connection between HCM and mental health issues. A 2023 study looked at health insurance data to see whether people with HCM are more likely to develop new mental health disorders than people who don’t have the condition.
The findings were significant: People with HCM had a 74% higher chance of developing mood disorders, like depression and anxiety, than those without HCM. The risk was especially high in the first month after diagnosis.
That’s usually when you face mental challenges like the shock or stress of learning about a serious heart condition. The study found that although your chances for a mental health condition go down over time, it’s still higher than normal, even several years later.
A Two-Way Relationship
The link between HCM and mental health issues works both ways: The stress of having a serious medical condition can trigger mental health problems. While at the same time, existing mental health issues, such as depression, can make HCM worse.
Anxiety can put added stress on your heart, which is especially harmful when you already have heart disease. Depression can cause your body to release stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, which raise your heart rate, blood pressure, and inflammation.
In a study, researchers looked at the long-term health outcomes of people with depression and HCM. They examined sudden cardiac death (SCD) — sudden unexpected death from heart-related causes — and events related to heart failure.
Researchers followed patients for an average of four years and found a notable link between depression, SCD, and heart failure-related events in people with HCM.
Similarly, researchers say there’s a connection between HCM and anxiety. They’ve found that people living with both conditions are more likely to have sudden cardiac death and heart failure.
These findings suggest that managing mental health can be a key part of your HCM care.
Managing Mental Health With HOCM
Living with depression and other mental health conditions makes it harder to find the energy to take care of your heart health. And, if you struggle with your mental health, you’re more likely to have certain habits that can worsen heart disease.
Habits that can worsen heart health include:
- Smoking
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Eating unhealthy foods
- Not getting enough sleep
But getting help for mental health can help you better manage your HOCM. Support groups, therapy, and lifestyle changes can also improve both your physical and mental well-being.
Talk to your doctor
More experts now see that emotional health and cardiac health go hand in hand. They suggest that hospitals offer mental health screening and treatment for people with heart disease.
Symptoms of depression and anxiety
If you notice any signs of depression or anxiety, talk to your doctor. They can help spot problems before they get worse and suggest treatment.
Treating Your Mental Health and Heart Health
Treatments that include medication, lifestyle changes, and emotional support can improve your mental health and, in turn, your heart health.
More and more, doctors look at your whole life, as a person, rather than just one part. That’s because your physical and mental health connect together in lots of ways.
With integrated care, some medical centers can screen your mental health as a part of your routine cardiology care. And heart health checks are part of mental health care, too.
This approach can help your health care team discover and manage both conditions earlier. And that can improve the impact of your treatment.
Tips for managing your mental health
Here’s a look at some ways to manage depression and heart disease together:
Medicine. Your doctor may prescribe antidepressants to address depression medications, if needed.
Lifestyle changes. To improve depression and your heart health, your doctor may recommend that you:
- Avoid or quit smoking
- Eat foods that are good for your heart
- Get enough sleep
- Exercise regularly
- Reach and keep a healthy weight
- Practice mindfulness or other stress-reduction techniques
- Manage other health conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
Support. Professional mental health therapy, social connections with friends and family, and a supportive and coordinated health care team can all help you better manage your condition.
HOCM Caregivers and Mental Health Challenges
Supporting a loved one with HOCM, a mental health condition, or both can be rewarding but also emotionally draining. Caregivers can often feel anxious, sad, or alone while juggling medical appointments, medications, and emotional support.
Studies show that caregivers for people with heart disease or mental health problems are more likely to live with stress, anxiety, or depression themselves. It’s easy to forget your own needs when you’re focused on someone else’s health. But caring for yourself is essential.
Take regular breaks, get enough sleep, eat well, and talk to friends, family, or a counselor about how you’re feeling. If you notice your mood slipping or you often feel overwhelmed, reach out to a health care professional.
A counselor can connect you with support groups, counseling, or other community resources. Taking care of your own mental and physical health helps you to better care for your loved one.
Show Sources
Photo Credit: E+/Getty Images
SOURCES:
European Journal of Preventive Cardiology: “Risk of incident mental disorders in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a nationwide propensity-matched study.”
Journal of the American Heart Association: “Association Between Depression and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.”
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine: “Anxiety Predicts Poor Prognosis in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.”
Mayo Clinic: “The impact of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy on you and your family members,” “Anxiety Disorders.”
University of Utah: “Cardiomyopathy and Mental Health.”
UC Health: “The Interplay Between Depression and Heart Disease: A Two-Way Street.”
NHS: “Symptoms - Depression in Adults.”
Cleveland Clinic: “Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.”
American Psychological Association: “Coping with a diagnosis of chronic illness.”
Johns Hopkins: “Anxiety and Heart Disease.”
European Society of Cardiology: “ESC Clinical Consensus Statement on Mental Health and Cardiovascular Disease: What Patients Need to Know.”
