http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/robin-williams-dead-actor-2009-heart-surgery-contribute-depression-article-1.1900944

Depression is one side effect of cardiac surgery.
It's unknown exactly when Williams' battle with depression began, but his rep issued a statement after the star's death on Monday at 63, noting he had "been battling severe depression of late."
"Open-heart surgery has historically been known to affect a person's cognitive functioning following recovery," Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, chief of psychiatry at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia, told the Daily News.
"The valve replacement involves stopping the heart while you're replacing it, and having that kind of procedure with general anesthesia, there is an increased frequency of depression occurring in the aftermath," he said

A number of factors could contribute to this post-operative depression, said Dr. Tara Narula, associate director of the cardiac care unit at Lenox Hill Hospital and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.

During open-heart surgery, emboli — little pieces of plaque in the aorta — may break off and travel up to the brain, which could result in changes to the brain's structure and abilities, Narula said. Open-heart surgery also makes use of hypothermia — lowering the body's temperature — which may affect brain chemistry, as could general anesthesia.
"It's multifactorial but certainly it is something that we know exists," Narula said of cardiac depression, adding that it affects 20-40% of heart surgery patients. She said patients and doctors need to educate themselves more about the link.
"There are so many things we can do to help people with depression, but if you don't recognize you have it, you're never going to be able to get treatment," she said.
The stress of Williams' open-heart surgery could have also led to "a reactive depression," said Dr. Alan Rozanski, chief of cardiology at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai Roosevelt. He noted that up to 10% of people can develop post-traumatic stress symptoms in the wake of a major medical procedure.
"We need to be increasingly aware of that link," he said.

Depression causes helplessness and vice versa. Anyone with a heart attack loses confidence and that leads to depression and/or anxiety. It is very common for heart patients to be on some anxiety meds - if not also on depr meds.

Let us face it. Once someone has a heart attack, he takes enough pills for breakfast and dinner.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:Depression causes helplessness and vice versa. Anyone with a heart attack loses confidence and that leads to depression and/or anxiety. It is very common for heart patients to be on some anxiety meds - if not also on depr meds.

Let us face it. Once someone has a heart attack, he takes enough pills for breakfast and dinner.

now a days they do a cardiac rehab here. sis is making dad go thru one after his infarction last year. turned out it was pretty severe.

One thing I hear is that open heart surgery survivors memory is affected, and it is not completely understood why or how it happens.

indophile wrote:One thing I hear is that open heart surgery survivors memory is affected, and it is not completely understood why or how it happens.

It could also be due to the many meds they take... some of them, including the Psycho drugs lead to some memory. My mind races through all my relatives and their actions and statements. 2 or 3 of them had no idea of the comments and troubles they made in gatherings...and I was kind of shocked, while the rest of the relatives thought they were just BSing.

Give me ONE good reason why someone who just had a heart surgery should not be depressed

Goddammit... the person just had the heart opened, fixed maybe... and the only thing that is supposed to pump blood (curing depression) has undergone maintenance...

The guy is closer to death then s/he was ever before. s/he has all the right to be depressed.

southindian wrote:Give me ONE good reason why someone who just had a heart surgery should not be depressed

They lived. Isn't that enough any more?

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

southindian wrote:Give me ONE good reason why someone who just had a heart surgery should not be depressed

They lived. Isn't that enough any more?

Think about this. Had they not lived, they would be dead. Not depressed. Not Nothing.  Somehow...depression only happens to living people. Worries too.

They are depressed, because despite having lived a surgery they have chemical imbalances.

southindian wrote:

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

southindian wrote:Give me ONE good reason why someone who just had a heart surgery should not be depressed

They lived. Isn't that enough any more?

Think about this. Had they not lived, they would be dead. Not depressed. Not Nothing.  Somehow...depression only happens to living people. Worries too.

They are depressed, because despite having lived a surgery they have chemical imbalances.

I thought only CD and Al-Akbari were depressing, and now you are depressing too talking about depressing topics like depression.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:

southindian wrote:

Merlot Daruwala wrote:

southindian wrote:Give me ONE good reason why someone who just had a heart surgery should not be depressed

They lived. Isn't that enough any more?

Think about this. Had they not lived, they would be dead. Not depressed. Not Nothing.  Somehow...depression only happens to living people. Worries too.

They are depressed, because despite having lived a surgery they have chemical imbalances.

I thought only CD and Al-Akbari were depressing, and now you are depressing too talking about depressing topics like depression.

Now? I'm always depressing others contrary to CD, Al-Akbari who are depressed.

southindian wrote:Think about this. Had they not lived, they would be dead.

Not bad, Avivek. You've figured out a very important fact of life. Congratulations.

Now there is news that he was also in the initial stages of Parkinson's Disease which itself is known to be closely tied to depression.