Treating People With Heart Disease For Anxiety & Depression Reduced ER Visits & Rehospitalization By Two-Thirds

Treating anxiety and depression reduced emergency room (ER) visits and rehospitalizations by two-thirds among Ohio Medicaid beneficiaries with heart disease. For people who received both medication and psychotherapy for anxiety or depression; the risk of hospitalization dropped between 68% and 75%, and the risk of an ER visit fell between 67% and 74%. For these individuals, the risk of death from any cause was also reduced by about 67%. Medication treatment for anxiety or depression included general antidepressants, tricyclic antidepressants, antipsychotic medications, benzodiazepine, mood stabilizers, buspirone, and hydroxyzine.

Psychotherapy alone cut the risk of hospital readmission nearly in half . . .