Cardiac Behavioral Medicine
Medical studies show that the
mind and body are strongly linked. If you start to wear down from
stress, depression, or anxiety, then your cardiac health can decline
too. Similarly, cardiac symptoms or a cardiac diagnosis can make you
feel mentally "down." Patients with coronary artery disease
often experience changes in stress and emotional functioning throughout
the course of diagnosis and treatment. Changes in mood may be
experienced after a heart attack
or following a heart surgery or heart procedure. Emotional well-being
is important because depression and stress impact the quality of a
person's life and can increase the chance that a patient experiences a
future cardiac event. Treatment for coronary artery disease also may
involve making lifestyle changes that can be difficult for some
patients to make on their own.
Cardiac treatment is most successful when it focuses on the physical, emotional, and behavioral health of the patient. Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Center for Coronary Disease at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute offers Cardiac Behavioral Medicine services which include comprehensive care in the evaluation and treatment of coronary artery disease by addressing the emotional and behavioral components. Cardiac Behavioral Medicine helps patients and their families adjust to a diagnosis of heart disease and provides support for patients who require cardiac surgery. Patients are educated about the role of emotions and stress in their cardiac health. They are taught new ways of relaxing and coping so that their heart is not harmed by daily stress and hassles. Lifestyle behavior changes are addressed in a supportive setting to help patients achieve their goals of quitting smoking, losing weight, or adhering to a new exercise regimen.
Kim R. Lebowitz, PhD, director of Cardiac Behavioral Medicine, Gail M. Osterman, PhD and Anjannette Padilla Ryan, PhD candidate and post-doctoral fellow, specialize in helping cardiac patients adjust to a diagnosis and become more resilient throughout the course of treatment. Their techniques include strategies that facilitate behavior change, improve coping strategies, minimize stress, and correct faulty ways of thinking, like those associated with hostility or perfectionism.
Cardiac Behavioral Medicine is helpful for a variety of presenting issues, including stress, depression, anxiety, panic, perfectionism, adjustment to a medical diagnosis, coping with a chronic illness, relaxation training, smoking cessation, hypnosis, behavior changes, and preparation for an upcoming heart surgery or procedure, including coronary artery bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention. Various support groups also are available throughout the year.
Contact
To schedule an evaluation or inquire about services regarding Cardiac
Behavioral Medicine through the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, please
call (312) 695-4965.
