Veterans with certain mental illnesses face higher risk of heart disease and stroke, too

Mental illness has a strong link to heart disease and stroke. As researchers note in a new study, chronic stress “weathers” a person, raising the odds of developing cardiovascular disease. To find out which psychiatric conditions pose the greatest risk, the researchers looked at data from 1.6 million veterans in VA care. Nearly half of the men and two-thirds of the women had been diagnosed with mental illness. Among men, depression, anxiety, psychosis, and bipolar disorder were all associated with an increased CVD risk. Among women, that link was found only for depression, psychosis, and bipolar disorder. Surprisingly, a PTSD diagnosis in men was tied to a lower risk, but in women, PTSD was not linked to any difference in CVD risk.