After learning you have heart disease, you may experience a wide range of emotions including sadness, depression, anxiety, anger and/or fear. When excessive and prolonged, these feelings can undermine the benefit of your cardiac treatment.
√
Depression occurs in 1 out of 3 patients who have had a heart attack. Studies have shown that depressed cardiac patients have a poorer prognosis compared to patients who are not depressed, even after other major risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure were taken into account.
√
Psychosocial interventions can help you establish healthy attitudes and coping skills to ease your distress and improve your cardiac rehabilitation process.
Individualized Cardiovascular
Emotional Fitness Program
This is a 4-6 session program designed to help you identify your stress and other difficult emotions (i.e. depression, anger) and provide you with tools to better cope with these feelings.
√
The first session will consist of an evaluation.
√
In the second session, the results of the evaluation will be discussed with you and an individualized program will be developed.
√
Sessions 3 to 6, will teach you strategies and techniques to better manage your stress and cope more effectively with heart disease.
Coping with Heart Disease
Support Group
This is an 8-session program designed to teach you strategies to help you cope better with heart disease and daily stress.
√
You will have the opportunity to express your fears and worries with other cardiac patients, which you may find very comforting.
√
The group is comprised of six to eight cardiac patients and is led by a licensed psychologist.
Individual Stress Management Sessions are also available.
Service provided by a licensed psychologist and
covered by most Health Insurance plans.
To register, or for more information, please call the
Comprehensive Health Improvement Program at
(514) 489-6630
