The cardiac blues

The cardiac blues is a term used for when people feel sad, down, or anxious after a heart event like a heart attack or heart surgery.

“Almost all patients experience some emotional reaction to a cardiac event,” says cardiac-trained dietitian at Bupa’s cardiac program COACH, Heather Ko. “A heart event is often life-changing, so it’s very normal to feel emotionally out of kilter afterwards.”

The cardiac blues can occur within a year of a heart event. “For most people, the cardiac blues is transient and passes after around 6 months,” says Heather. “75% of people who experience the cardiac blues do not go on to have clinical depression.”

The cardiac blues might include these symptoms:

• sadness or tearfulness
• feeling irritable or angry
• feeling anxious or worried
• confusion and forgetfulness
• withdrawal from friends and family
• loss of interest in things you previously enjoyed

“There is a lot of focus on physical recovery after a major health event, but emotional recovery is also important after health trauma,” says Heather. “Many patients tell us they lose trust in their bodies after a heart event, and can feel helpless, angry, or simply overwhelmed. All these things can contribute to the cardiac blues.”

Around 75% of people experience the cardiac blues after a heart event. In the weeks following a cardiac event, 40% of people reported elevated anxiety, and 20% showed symptoms of depression.²

“Many people don’t know about the cardiac blues. Normalising the symptoms and reassuring people that it’s a common condition can help,” says Heather. “Awareness and having early conversations with your healthcare provider can improve patient outcomes.”

The cardiac blues don’t discriminate.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re young or old, male or female, or what type of heart event you’ve had, you can experience the cardiac blues,” says Heather. “However, people who have pre-existing depression are more at risk. These people should be more vigilant in terms of the severity of their symptoms and how long their symptoms are lasting.”

In hospital, your healthcare provider should ask you the following 2 questions:

• During the past month, have you often been bothered by feeling down, depressed or hopeless?
• During the past month, have you often been bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things?

“If someone answers ‘yes’ to both these questions, a healthcare provider should be mindful that this person may have the cardiac blues and may be prone to depression,” says Heather. “If you are feeling sad or anxious after a heart event, always speak to your doctor.”

“As with any grief response, it’s important to give someone experiencing the cardiac blues plenty of time,” says Heather. “Ask simple questions such as ‘How are you feeling?’ then actively listen to the answer. If they are feeling low, be proactive; encourage them to speak to a doctor, counsellor or psychologist.”

“A lot of hospitals offer cardiac rehab as part of their outpatient program. This can be a safe space for people to meet others who’ve been through a similar situation and can help people feel less alone.”

Australian Centre for Heart Health provides information and can advise on recovery programs after a heart event.

Lifeline offers crisis support 24/7. Call them on 13 11 14