Depression and Anxiety Associated With Cardiovascular Disease, Article Review Example

The 2006 study documented in “Depression and Anxiety Associated with Cardiovascular Disease Among Persons 45 Years of Age in 38 States of the United States” is, among other things, a model of professional procedure and academic integrity.  The bulk of the article is devoted to detailing, and minutely, every component within the study. The purpose, as stated in the title, was to identify potential and significant correlations between cardiovascular issues and depressive states in the selected age group, which itself was selected due to the far greater incidence of heart trouble among those over forty-five.

From here, the authors delineate the research methodology. Eight questions addressing both histories of depression and cardiovascular health were posed to a random sampling of middle-aged adults, and the survey was administered by telephone, employing the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the results of which are documented at Centers for Disease Control websites.  The conclusions reflect a distinct, if not overwhelmingly conclusive, connection between those with cardiovascular issues and diagnosed depression.

In terms of academic value, the study presents certain limitations, despite the extensive care taken to adhere to correct methodology.  For example, the eight questions are somewhat unequivocal, in that the respondents are asked, not if they have experienced depression, but if a healthcare professional has diagnosed depression in them.  While this distinction preserves integrity, it minimizes the actual import of the study, for depression is commonly undiagnosed.  That the survey was telephone-based also limits response potential; there can be no gradation of response, as a live interview permits.

Also, the conclusions reached by the authors do not address what would appear to be an important factor, that of heart trouble actually triggering depression.  The emphasis appears to focus solely on how the biological manifestations of cardiovascular disease may prompt anxiety or depression.  The results are broken down by socioeconomic, gender, and employment states, and there is an emphasis on the higher rate of depression among those unemployed found, but the ultimate focus – that of linking heart disease as a chemical/biological impetus to depression – remains foremost.  Lastly, the article suffers from a needless excess of citation; it is admirable that the work is so validated, but the citations are so numerous as to render much of the text virtually unreadable.