Positive feelings can make a world of positive difference in a person’s health. For patients with failing hearts, however, negative feelings and depression can have the opposite effect.

When someone close to you is diagnosed with heart failure, they may become depressed and have trouble dealing with stress. But being supportive could lessen their depression and may even improve their health.

Depression can affect the health of heart failure patients, even impacting the quality of their lives. New research suggests managing depression may give patients a health boost and even improve their social lives.

Women are commonly affected by depression more often, and more severely when it hits. However, it appears to be men who suffer a greater emotional toil when it comes to a diagnosis of heart failure.

Patients who end up in the hospital because of their heart disease often have a long road to recovery in front of them. Unfortunately, depression can make that road more difficult.