PSYCH 143: Cardiovascular Disorders

Clinical Deep Dives · Oct 5, 2026 · 57m · transcript

Medlock Holmes enters The Engine Room of the Heart, where an enormous mechanical heart is connected to the brain by networks carrying stress, emotion, behaviour, autonomic signals and medication effects.

The relationship is strikingly bidirectional. Cardiovascular disease can produce anxiety, depression, cognitive disturbance and trauma-related symptoms, while psychiatric disorders and psychological stress can influence cardiovascular risk, recovery and mortality. Behaviour provides another bridge: smoking, inactivity, poor diet and reduced adherence can all become more prominent during…