Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 2: In a significant step towards addressing the critical link between psychological and cardiac health, Dr. Sushil Sharma, Head of the Department of Cardiology GMCH Jammu, held a day-long cardiac awareness cum health check-up camp at Bhairav Mandir, Chowk Chabutra, Jammu. The camp focused on promoting a cardiac-friendly lifestyle and highlighted the urgent need to tackle the intertwined challenges of mental health disorders and cardiovascular disease (CVD), a combination that poses a major socioeconomic burden, particularly in developing countries.
While interacting with the community, Dr. Sushil Sharma stated that the global medical community now recognizes that health cannot be compartmentalized into separate physical and psychological domains. He elaborated on a pivotal new directive from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), which, through its latest Clinical Consensus Statement (August 2025), is calling for a cultural shift in how healthcare systems and societies approach this adverse combination.
“The connection between mental health and cardiovascular disease is complex and mutually reinforcing,” Dr. Sharma explained. He detailed that individuals with chronic conditions like depression, anxiety, and chronic stress face a higher risk of developing hypertension, coronary artery disease, and heart failure. Conversely, CVD patients frequently experience depression and anxiety, which adversely affect their prognosis, treatment adherence, and quality of life.
Dr. Sushil elaborated on the physiological and psychological mechanisms behind this link. “Physiologically, chronic stress and depression lead to over activation of the body’s stress pathways, increased sympathetic tone, and elevated inflammation, all of which accelerate atherosclerosis. Psychologically, patients often adopt poor lifestyles and medication noncompliance, further compounding their cardiovascular risk.”
The camp was coordinated by Dr. Venkatesh Yellupu. The paramedic team and volunteers included Rajkumar, Ranjeet Singh, Rajinder Singh, Maninder Singh, Rohit Nayyar, Rahul Vaid, Gourav Sharma, Gokul Jamwal Vikas Kumar, Shubham Sharma, Paramveer Singh, Vishal Gupta, Sanjay Singh, Anmol Singh, Nirvair Singh Bali and numerous volunteers of the Trust.
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