Cardiovascular Diseases and Mental Disorders: Bidirectional Risk Factors?

Both cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and mental disorders are major public health issues, which lead to increased disability and mortality. CVD are the worldwide leading cause of death and are responsible for around four million deaths each year in Europe. Mental disorders also demonstrate high lifetime prevalence. For example, the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS), a population-based study in the USA, revealed that as many as 48.7% of the respondents report at least one lifetime disorder, with the most frequent being substance abuse/dependence (35.4%), followed by anxiety (19.2%) and mood disorders (14.7%)[1] reported in European populations[2 3]. A recent WHO projection concluded, that by 2030, unipolar depressive disorders and ischemic heart disease will be among the three leading causes of disease burden worldwide[4].