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Biological and chemical factors related to mental health directly impact the heart.

Depression and anxiety have been linked to cognitive decline and impaired cognitive functioning.

Tapping into the power of resilience can help us bridge the gap between medicine and psychology.

When you visit your doctor, do they ask about your mental health?

Tara Narula, MD, cardiologist and renowned medical journalist, believes physicians shouldn’t ignore the mental health of their patients, and for good reason. Mental health has been shown to directly impact both heart and brain health.

While researchers once believed the connection between mental health and heart health was due to behavioral factors, like self-medicating with substances or binge eating unhealthy foods, they now understand the biological and chemical factors related to mental health that directly impact the heart. Anxiety, chronic stress, and depression have all been shown to contribute to heart disease, as do loneliness and social isolation (American Heart Association, n.d.).

Depression and anxiety have also been linked to cognitive decline and impaired cognitive functioning—the brain’s ability to pay attention, solve problems, remember things, and learn new skills. This is particularly true in older adults (Huang et al., 2026).

For Narula, integrating mental health screening and care into the traditional medical system is important in addressing the undeniable ways that mental health is impacting patients’ physical well-being. She explores how tapping into the power of resilience can help us bridge the gap........

© Psychology Today