Blunted stress reactivity is a distinctive feature in clinically depressed patients

摘要

Depression is the leading cause of disability and morbidity worldwide. A complex mix of biopsychosocial risk factors is thought to contribute to the development and maintenance of depression. One of these factors is chronic mental stress.3 The review by Schiweck et al indicates that despite an increasing volume of research, there remains obscurity around the effects of depression on stress reactivity. An increased understanding of this may have important contributions for future remote monitoring and individualised care. Therefore this review sought to explore and evaluate what the evidence base says about heart rate (HR) and high frequency heart rate variation (HF-HRV) as measurable indicators for stress reactivity in clinically depressed patients.