When you have heart disease, there are some important heart-healthy things you need to do to keep your heart as healthy as possible.
Things like eating right, staying active, and taking medicine.
But some people with heart disease also have depression.
When you're depressed, it's hard to stay focused on doing these heart-healthy things.
And heart disease does increase your risk for depression.
That's why it's important to understand the signs of depression and how you can work with your doctor to treat it.
Depression is different from normal feelings of sadness, grief, or low energy.
It causes you to feel sad and hopeless much of the time.
Depression is a medical problem that needs treatment.
So if you're concerned about your mood, talk with your doctor.
The sooner you know if you're depressed, the sooner you can get treatment-like counseling and medicine-or you can ask for a referral to a doctor who can help you with depression.
Just know that many people are able to overcome depression with the right treatment.
So help keep your heart healthy by keeping your mood healthy.
Watch for the signs of depression, and talk to your doctor about treatment if you're ever concerned about your mood.
