The significance of co-morbid depression upon the medically ill has recently been recognized in the medical literature. Higher prevalence rates of mood disorders above that of the normal population has been found in patients who suffer from chronic medical illnesses, including vascular disease (cerebrovascular and coronary artery disease). Additional work has shown increased in-patient hospitalizations, cost of care, morbidity and mortality in these patients. More than 2 million United States citizens suffer from congestive heart failure (CHF), accounting for the highest category for hospitalization in the Medicare population, with annual expenses exceeding $10 billion. One leading source of heart failure is ischemic heart disease. Despite knowledge that depressive disorders lead to increased morbidity, mortality and poorer outcomes in ischemic heart disease, little is currently known about the association of CHF and depression. There is evidence that the rate of depression may be high in the CHF population, but no studies have addressed the impact on morbidity and mortality in CHF patients when depression is adequately treated. Funding is requested for a two site, prospective placebo treatment of patients with congestive heart failure and clinically diagnosed major depression. Patients will be enrolled in this study with clinically diagnosed heart failure of NYHA functional > II. Patients will be interviewed and evaluated for major depression by use of the protocol developed by the NIMH-supported Duke Center for the Study of Depression in the Elderly. This includes sections that assess depressive symptoms, psychiatric co-morbidity, cognitive status, functional status and disability, daily and chronic stress, and social support, the longitudinal component of this study will include collecting data on all enrolled subjects. Information collected in these follow-up contacts will include deaths, re-hospitalizations, cardiac events, functional status/quality of life measures, and level of depressive symptoms.
