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Brought to you by the Depression Is Real Coalition, The Down & Up Show is dedicated to the reality of depression. Each week our hosts will talk with some of the world's top experts on depression, as well as people who have been impacted by this illness. The reality of depression is that it is a debilitating and potentially deadly medical condition that affects more than 15 million Americans every year. The other reality of depression is that there is hope. Dr. Mary WhooleyThe Mind-Heart Connection
Dr. Whooley has also found that patients with depression are at increased risk for heart attacks and death from heart disease. She is Principal Investigator of the Heart and Soul Study, a 10-year longitudinal study of over 1000 patients with coronary heart disease. Dr. Whooley and her colleagues have found that depressive symptoms more strongly influence quality of life than traditional measures of cardiac function. They have also demonstrated that depression is associated with elevated levels of norepinephrine, increased cortisol, inflammation, medication non-adherence, physical inactivity, and a genetic polymorphism in the promoter of the serotonin transporter gene. These findings demonstrate that efforts to improve quality of life should include greater emphasis on assessment and treatment of depression. The ultimate goal of Dr. Whooley's work is to improve the cardiovascular outcomes of depressed patients. For further information about the Heart and Soul Study, go to www.heartandsoulstudy.net Dr. Whooley's publications can be accessed by typing Whooley MA in the search box on the PubMed website: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez Education Awards & Honors |
Dr.
Whooley's research is focused on the detection and treatment of
depression in patients with medical illnesses, especially cardiovascular
disease. In 1997, she validated a 2-question screening instrument
to aid in the diagnosis of depression in medical patients. This
simple instrument was immediately recognized as a tremendous improvement
over the much longer (20-item) instruments that were previously
available. The majority of VA medical centers, as well as numerous
managed care organizations, now use the 2-question depression screen
to identify depression in primary care patients. In addition, the
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Guide to Clinical Preventive
Services has referenced Dr. Whooley's work in recommending the use
of shorter screening instruments for depression in primary care
settings. 
