In the last few years an increasing number of health professionals have begun to realise the connection that exists, between the patients psychical and mental health, in regard to treatment and prevention of disease.
When a patient with ischemic heart disease, with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression don’t receive psychological help, it affects the patients’ health both psychically and mentally.
When anxiety and depression affect the patients to a lesser degree, it might enable patients to better prioritize and manage their physical rehabilitation, as well as lifestyle changes, which can prevent further decrease in their health.
The treatment in eMindYourHeart, is primarily based upon value oriented cognitive therapy. In the therapy the main goals for the patient are:
- Learning how to cope with and mastering of the mental aspects of having ischemic heart disease.
- How to handle anxiety and depression symptoms.
- To set new goals for their lives through the use of life values.
Online cognitive therapy has previously been tested on different groups of patients, with a high degree of success, and is as effective as traditional face to face therapy. But this is the first time online cognitive therapy is being tested, on patients with ischemic heart disease in Denmark.
The treatment is specifically tailored to the target group, by having a focus on the unique kinds of health psychological problems, patients with ischemic heart illness and anxiety and/or depression may experience, like overlap in symptoms. An example is that many patients experience worry about the presence of hearth problems, when the experience anxiety symptoms, like elevated heart rate.
Throughout the treatment the patients therefore acquire concrete psychological tools and strategies, which are customised to their unique problems they experience because the suffer from both ischemic heart disease as well as anxiety and/or depression.
The treatment has been made in cooperation with patients, suffering from ischemic heart disease, and anxiety and/or depression.