2006年VOA标准英语-Depression Linked to Heart Disease and Heart Fa

By Carol Pearson
03 July 2006
 
Watch Health Report

On June 22, a candidate in the governor's race in the U.S. state of Maryland withdrew, saying he is suffering from clinical depression and needs professional help. Depression is one of the most common psychiatric illnesses, and studies show it may be harmful to the heart. 

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Mary Whooley   
  
Dr. Mary Whooley is an internist in San Francisco, California. She decided¹ to review all the published research she could find on the link between heart disease and depression. She said, "The majority of studies have found that depression is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks. This means that depression is not only affecting one's mental health, it may also affect one's physical health."

Dr. Whooley's study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Among her findings  - that one out of every three heart failure patients suffers from depression. "It may be that patients with depression have elevated levels of stress hormones² that might damage their heart or there may be behavioral consequences of depression such as not taking medications as prescribed, or not eating as well or not exercising that may damage the heart," Whooley said.

 
Wiley Cowan 
  
A Swedish study released in December 2005 found that people diagnosed with depression earlier in life, between 25 and 50 years of age, have increased risk of developing coronary heart disease later on. The link between heart disease and depression makes sense to Wiley Cowan, who has had a quadruple bypass and suffered two strokes. "The heart issues surfaced just a few years ago, but I feel that I have suffered from depression for a great many years," he said.

Doctor with patient   
  
The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health says nearly 15 million American adults are currently affected³ by a major depressive disorder⁴. Dr. Whooley says the most surprising thing is that depression is extremely common and that more than half of the cases are never diagnosed or treated properly. Many studies link depression with serious physical illness. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that treating depression, especially in patients with serious illnesses, can improve the quality of their lives and even hasten recovery.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。