Psychosocial Effects of Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease is a condition where there is a narrowing of arteries leading to the heart. Constriction of these arteries can cause chest pain or a heart attack due to inadequate blood flow to the heart. A person diagnosed with coronary heart disease may experience some psychosocial issues.

Anxiety

• A person diagnosed with coronary heart disease may feel worried or anxious about their personal well being and how this diagnosis will affect their lifestyle.

Guilt

• Patients diagnosed with heart disease may experience guilty feelings. They may believe that their chosen lifestyles may have contributed to them acquiring coronary heart disease.

Lifestyle Changes

• Patients with coronary heart disease may isolate themselves socially from their friends as a result of side effects of their medications or symptoms of their disease, such as fatigue.

Depression

• Depression is a condition that patients with coronary heart disease may experience. This may be caused by a variety of reasons. They may become less motivated and less functional in their roles in life.

Significance

• Screening a patient with coronary heart disease for psychosocial issues gives health care providers an opportunity to provide appropriate care to the patient.