How much the association between depressive symptoms (DSs) and all‐cause mortality depends on cardiovascular disease (CVD) events is poorly known. We aimed to prospectively quantify the association between DSs at repeated study visits and all‐cause and cause‐specific mortality, and the influence of incident CVD on this association.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens details. To access full-text: click “Log in/Register” (top right hand side). Click ‘Institutional Login’ then select 'OpenAthens Federation', then ‘NHS England’. Enter your Athens details to view the article.