The Los Angeles Times reports on a study that shows depression and anxiety interfering with healing after surgery.
Why would depression and anxiety make a patient more vulnerable? The researchers offered several theories. Among them:
- Depressed patients don’t take as good a care of themselves, so when they go in for surgery, they may have underlying conditions that complicate their recovery.
- Patients with mental health problems may settle for lower-quality hospitals and surgeons.
- Patients with depression or anxiety may put off going to the doctor, so by the time they have their surgery, their physical condition is worse.