Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), their risk factors (CVRF) and mental disorders are common and co-occur more frequently than would be expected by chance. However the mechanisms underlying their association still need to be elucidated. Several non-mutually exclusive hypotheses have been suggested to explain this association:

• Mental disorders could increase vulnerability to CVD through damaging health behavior including smoking, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle or the side effects of psychotropic drugs
• CVD or its treatment could promote the development of mental disorders
• Mental disorders and CVD/CVRF could share pathogenetic mechanisms, such as metabolic processes or genes.

Thus, in 2004 the follow-up of the entire CoLaus population was initiated in order to prospectively assess the associations between CVD, CVRF and mental disorders: the CoLaus|PsyCoLaus study was born. The PsyCoLaus study is based on the large epidemiological sample of the CoLaus survey, which assessed CVD risk factors and the genetic variants associated with these conditions in the general population of the City of Lausanne. 

The PsyCoLaus investigation should allow us to address three main questions:

• Do mental disorders increase vulnerability to CVRF and CVD?
• Do CVRF and CVD or their drug treatment promote the development of mental disorders?
• Do CVRF/CVD and mental disorders share common pathogenetic processes?

More than 5000 persons aged 35-75 years at baseline have participated in PsyCoLaus at least once.

A detailed description of the participant selection, inclusion criteria and methods used can be found in the following manuscript:

Preisig M, Waeber G, Vollenweider P, Bovet P, Rothen S, Vandeleur C, Guex P, Middleton L, Waterworth D, Mooser V, et al. The PsyCoLaus study: methodology and characteristics of the sample of a population-based survey on psychiatric disorders and their association with genetic and cardiovascular risk factors. BMC Psychiatry. 2009; 9:9. PMID: 19292899; PMCID: PMC2667506; DOI: 10.1186/1471-244X-9-9.