The voice of Johnny Gill, 'put on your red dress'... will be echoing across America as women proudly put on their red dresses tomorrow to bring attention to a major killer - coronary heart disease (CHD) . CHD is the leading cause of death for all Americans, both men and women. If you look at life expectancy between black and whites, cardiovascular disease , including hypertension or high blood pressure and diabetes plays a significant role in the higher death rates of blacks in America. In fact, it accounts for more third of the differences in death rates between blacks and whites.

We commonly talk about the risks factors for CHD, smoking, poor diet with excess salt intake and fatty foods, and not exercising. A new risk factor is Depression. That's right, how you feel, and what your mood is like can affect your heart. Having a chronic medical illness and being depressed can worsen every outcome. Depressed people are more likely to miss medical appointments, less likely to take their medication as prescribed and overuse hospital visits.

A recent article in American Heart Journal, (January, 2009) concluded that blacks with CHD who screen positive for depression are less likely to be treated with anti-depressants despite having similar levels of depression as whites. This disparity occurred in hospitals and outpatient visits and indicated that black men were very likely to be untreated or undertreated.

Many people with chronic diseases feel sad or depressed. If you or a family member is being treated for CHD, ask your doctor or health care provider about being screened for depression. Depression is treatable and like CHD is an equal opportunity illness. Let's bring awareness to both conditions.