A healthy mind ensures a healthy body, it works the other way around too. Better fitness and stress resilience among the youth ensure their mental well-being. And good mental health among adolescents protects them against heart diseases later in life. According to a study, depression or anxiety in adolescence is linked with a 20% greater likelihood of having a heart attack mid-life.
In a warning to parents, study author Dr. Cecilia Bergh of Örebro University in Sweden said: “Be vigilant and look for signs of stress, depression or anxiety that is beyond the normal teenage angst: seek help if there seems to be a persistent problem (telephone helplines may be particularly helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic). If a healthy lifestyle is encouraged as early as possible in childhood and adolescence it is more likely to persist into adulthood and improve long-term health.”
There are signs that young people’s mental health is deteriorating.
This study looked into the possibility of a link between adolescent depression (around the ages of 18 or 19) and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood.
Stress resilience in adolescence
The potential contribution of stress resilience—the capacity to handle stress in daily life—to the explanation of any correlations was also investigated by the researchers.
In late adolescence, 238,013 men born between 1952 and 1956 underwent comprehensive tests as part of their evaluation for mandatory military service. After that, they continued throughout middle age (until they became 58). At the age of eighteen or nineteen, medical, psychological, and physical examinations were conducted by professionals in the field.
A psychological interview and a questionnaire based on social, behavioural, medical, familial, and personality traits were used to gauge stress resilience.
At the time of conscription, 34,503 men had a diagnosis of a non-psychotic mental illness, such as anxiety or depression.
Hospital medical records served as the means of monitoring for cardiovascular disease.
Mental fitness and heart health linked
According to the study, having a mental illness throughout youth increased one’s chance of experiencing a heart attack or myocardial infarction by middle age.
Even after accounting for other factors like blood pressure, body mass index, general health, and parental socioeconomic position, males with a diagnosis had a 20% higher risk of myocardial infarction in adolescence than men without a diagnosis.
Teens with mental illnesses had lower levels of physical fitness and less resilience to stress, which helped to partially explain the link between mental illness and heart attacks, but not entirely.
Better fitness in adolescence is likely to help protect against later heart disease
“We already knew that men who were physically fit in adolescence seem less likely to maintain fitness in later years if they have low-stress resilience,” said Dr. Bergh.
“Our previous research has also shown that low-stress resilience is also coupled with a greater tendency towards addictive behaviour, signalled by higher risks of smoking, alcohol consumption and other drug use.”
Dr. Bergh said: “Better fitness in adolescence is likely to help protect against later heart disease, particularly if people stay fit as they age. Physical activity may also alleviate some of the negative consequences of stress. This is relevant to all adolescents, but those with poorer well-being could benefit from additional support to encourage exercise and to develop strategies to deal with stress.”
Story Source:
Materials provided by the European Society of Cardiology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Page citation:
European Society of Cardiology. “Depressed or anxious teens risk heart attacks in middle age.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 August 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200826083017.htm>.
Help is here:
Name of the Organisation: Vandrevala Foundation
Vandrevala Foundation is a non-profit that partners with organizations to help communities thrive by providing education and healthcare. Vandrevala Foundation launched a mental health helpline in India in 2009 to offer free psychological counselling and crisis mediation to anyone experiencing distress due to depression, trauma, mood disorders, chronic illness, and relationship conflict.
Website: http://www.vandrevalafoundation.com
Contact: Email: info@vandrevalafoundation.com
Telephone: +91 9999 666 555
Name of the Organisation: India Heart Foundation:
The India Heart Foundation is a collective that works with doctors from across the country empowering them to reach out to the people around them better. They are creating medical educational resources and building a global cardiovascular community to promote cardiovascular health at a regional and national level.
Website: http://indiaheartfoundation.in/
Contact: Telephone: +91 8220277777