Study: Depression Screening Not Always Helpful For Heart Patients
(Chicago, IL) -- A recent suggestion that heart attack patients benefit from depression screening from their cardiologists is being rebuffed. A new study says the American Heart Association's recommendation for the screenings could be burdensome and might not deliver a big enough benefit to justify the effort. Some scientists are saying there's little proof depressed heart patients live longer or do better over the long term if they are screened and treated. Psychology professor Brett Thombs of McGill University in Montreal calls the screenings, quote, "an extremely difficult undertaking that wouldn't produce practical benefits for patients." His study is published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association." |