Talking therapies could reduce future risk of cardiovascular disease

talking therapy with older man - Using talking therapies to effectively treat depression in adults over the age of 45 may be linked with reduced rates of future cardiovascular disease, finds a new analysis of health data led by UCL researchers. In the first-of-its-kind study, published in the European Health Journal , researchers assessed whether evidence-based psychological therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), used to treat depression could play a role in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. Cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and heart disease, are the leading cause of death worldwide. They represent 32% of all deaths, with 18.6 million people having died from this cause in 2019 globally. Previous studies have also shown that people who experience depression are approximately 72% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease in their lifetime, compared to people who do not. The new research analyses data from 636,955 people over the age of 45 who accessed treatment via England's national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service, between 2012 and 2020 (soon to be called "NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression"). IAPT is a free service and offers CBT, counselling and guided self-help, with sessions delivered either face-to-face individually or in groups online.