Systems Approach Explains Why Low Heart Rate Variability Is Correlated with Depression (and Suicidal Thoughts)

Authors

Francisco Zapata, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Eric Smith, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow
Vladik Kreinovich, The University of Texas at El PasoFollow

Publication Date

12-1-2022

Comments

Technical Report: UTEP-CS-22-122

Abstract

Depression is a serious medical problem. If diagnosed early, it can usually be cured, but if left undetected, it can lead to suicidal thoughts and behavior. The early stages of depression are difficult to diagnose. Recently, researchers found a promising approach to such diagnosis -- it turns out that depression is correlated with low heart rate variability. In this paper, we show that the general systems approach can explain this empirical relation.