Early treatment for depression: Stroke prevention?

Depression can be serious and needs to be taken seriously. With seriousness comes treatment, which, according to this article, could actually prevent a stroke or heart attack:

Patients who had no evidence of heart disease at the study start who received antidepressants and therapy for their depression almost halved their risk of a heart attack or stroke during the eight years of the study, compared with the standard care group, the researchers found.

"Ultimately, this line of research could produce a new approach to preventing cardiovascular disease," said study author Jesse Stewart, an associate professor of psychology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis."

There's a great temptation to look away of the problem of depression, to avoid treatment. This article can open your eyes to the importance of early treatment.