Depression in women, especially among senior citizens, is an unfortunate condition that nevertheless affects many wives and grandmothers and, as a result, their families. But depression in this particular demographic may not just be hard on the heart in the figurative sense; a new study with results published this week suggests that the damage may be quite literal.

The study, produced by a team of researchers with the Colombia University Medical Center and the Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston is featured in the newest edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Basing its data on a pool of over sixty three thousand women, the long-term study examined the differences between those subjects who self-reported depression and those with a clean bill of mental health and psychological wellness. Those who self-reported were administered exams for clinical depression, and those taking anti-depressant medications were monitored as to their intake. None of the women involved in the study had any prior record of heart disease, stroke, or related complications. In an effort to achieve objective results, the major risk-inducing factors for heart disease including smoking and excessive alcohol consumption were screened out

At the close of a twelve-year observation period, the researchers found that those women with clinical depression were twice as likely to experience sudden cardiac death or chronic heart disease. Rates were as strong or higher for those women on anti-depressant medications. While the team's lead doctor, William Whang, asserts that while such medications are often a sound choice for those with symptoms of depression, and may not necessarily lead to greater risk of heart disease, the link between the two is in need of a greater scope of study. 

The study was followed closely by Seattle Therapist and author, Mike J. Williams, Ph.D.  Dr. Williams writes writes, "this Study highlighted the importance of as a front-line defense against both depression and related medical complications, the study may well serve as an impetus for greater investigation into the risks associated with depression medications." Let's hope so.