Background: Many researches show that psychological factors play a major part in the impact, course and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Psychiatric disorders and psychological distress are recognized as risk factors for coronary heart disease, especially in women. The Women`s heart clinic offers comprehensive treatment in order to prevent heart disease in women. A medical psychologist is assigned in the women`s heart clinic. Psychological intervention includes between 1-5 sessions for each referred women.
Aim: To describe the role of medical psychologist in the women`s heart clinic
Methods and results: The women`s heart clinic was opened at December 2013. In a period of 10 month, 71 women were referred to the psychologists. 46 (65%) of them arrived to the first appointment and started a psychological assessment and intervention. Most of the women assessed (76%) were married. The average age of the women assessed was 55.8+ 13.1 years, age range: 21-76. 62% of the women where healthy without heart disease. The treatments were based on the method of integrative psychotherapy which includes elements from different schools of psychology. The interventions were focused on six different therapeutic themes: stress management (30.5%), changing life habits (17.5%), depression/Anxiety (15.5%), coping with medical procedures (15%), coping with disease (8.5%), increasing self-care (6.5%), and different issues (6.5%).
Clinical implications. Cardiac psychology is a specialization of Medical psychology that focuses on the primary and secondary prevention of heart disease. Our pilot shows that most of the women who arrived to the women`s heart clinic were healthy but in high risk for developing cardiac disease. These women had to cope with psychological difficulties particularly with stress. Therefore we believe that psychological assessment and intervention in women`s heart clinic are essential in order to minimize this difficulties and risk factors, particularly in reducing stress
