Implications of Sex Differences on Behavioral and Cardiovascular Health

Abstract

Mood disorders (ie, major depression and anxiety spectrum disorders) and psychosocial stress are increasingly being recognized as risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Patients with CVD also have a higher prevalence of mood disorders compared to the general population. Mood disorders and psychosocial stress increase the risk of morbidity and mortality and reduce quality of life in patients with CVD. Women are two-fold more likely than men to experience depression and anxiety-related conditions. Women also demonstrate increased susceptibility to cardiovascular conditions linked with psychosocial stressors rather than traditional CVD risk factors. Furthermore, young women who suffer myocardial infarctions tend to suffer worse outcomes compared to age-matched men that are not explained by differences in traditional CVD risk factors, and they experience increased mood symptoms before and after cardiovascular events. Psychosocial stressors and mood disorders represent under-recognized and undertreated risk factors for CVD that may play a role in propagating gender-based disparities. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2022;52(1):7–13.]