Women suffering from depression have higher risks of developing heart disease, and women with heart disease have higher risks of becoming depressed. This is a bit depressing…

I was stunned to find myself in that latter group within weeks of my own heart attack. With no personal experience of depression, I knew something was terribly wrong with me, but I could not put my finger on exactly what that might be. I had just survived a heart attack -  shouldn’t I be feeling fabulous and grateful?

Instead, I felt exhausted, distressed, weepy, unmotivated to even drag myself out of bed in the morning. I slept in my clothes. I forgot about personal hygiene tasks like washing my hair, and I no longer cared about how I looked or smelled. All I wanted to do was crawl back under the covers. I tried very hard to paste on my little happy face around my family and friends, but eventually I found this so utterly exhausting that it just seemed easier to make excuses to avoid people entirely. click to continue reading