Blunted stress reactivity is a distinctive feature in clinically depressed patients

Implications for practice and research Nurses must be aware that clinically depressed patients may exhibit reduced heart rate variability in response to stress  Future research in this area needs to use larger sample sizes, and consider other factors such as childhood trauma history, subjective stress ratings, sleep quality, and co-morbidity with anxiety disorders. ContextDepression is the leading cause of disability and morbidity worldwide. 1A complex mix of biopsycho-social risk factors is thought to contribute to the development and maintenance of depression. 2 One of these factors is chronic mental stress. 3The review by Schiweck and colleagues indicates that despite an increasing volume of research, there remains obscurity around the effects of depression on stress reactivity. 4An increased understanding of this may have important contributions for future remote monitoring and individualized 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.