Psychosocial interventions for patients after a cardiac event

Abstract

A large body of evidence links depression and coronary artery disease and includes findings that patients who experience depression at the time of an acute cardiac event die sooner than their nondepressed counterparts. Although cardiac rehabilitation programs addressing medical, lifestyle, and psychosocial issues have positive effects on behavioral change, significantly reduce the risk of having future cardiac events, and reduce mortality, depressed mood and social isolation can compromise the positive effects of these programs. Systematic reviews have shown the effectiveness of psychological interventions for cardiac patients; however, comparison of interventions is difficult due to variati..