An Integrated Perspective for Understanding the Psychosocial Impact of Acute Cardiovascular Events

The psychosocial impact of acute cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, including cardiac and stroke events, is gaining increasing recognition, with recommendations regarding an integrated cardiovascular approach coming from organizations such as the European Society of Cardiology Council on Stroke. This study aims to document the similarities and differences between heart disease and stroke in the prevalence, predictors and consequences of, and treatments for, anxiety and depression. This scoping review provides an overview of the evidence of similarity and difference in the mental health impacts of cardiac events and strokes. It found that research into postevent anxiety and depression is generally more advanced in the cardiac area than in the stroke area, with research related to poststroke anxiety prevalence, predictors, and treatment being particularly sparse. Despite these limitations, the review reveals enough similarities in the psychosocial impacts of cardiac and stroke events to warrant investigation of the potential for integrated psychosocial services for CVD patients, paying particular attention to collaborative care models of intervention.