Group Psychotherapy Among Congestive Heart Failure Patients as a Way to Reduce Psychological Distress and Increase Psycho-social Adjustment

Among all medical conditions, patients with heart failure report significantly poorer quality of life than do the other patients (1). The existing literature describes a wide range of negative emotions common among patients with heart failure; these include everything from depression, anxiety, submission and helplessness to a profound sense of "discord and brokenness." The prevalence of depression, ranging from 11% to 25% among heart disease outpatients and 35% to 70% among those who are hospitalized (2). By comparison, the overall percentage of the population suffering from depression is about 6.6%. Psychological depression appears to be an important predictor of rehospitalization among persons who have been admitted with coronary artery disease (3). In addition, depression in patients with heart failure was found to be associated with the course of the disease and its prognosis. For example, it was found that in patients with heart failure, a diagnosis of Major Depression was correlated with a higher rate of mortality (4), and depressive symptoms predicted short-term worsening of heart failure symptoms (5). The reduction in quality of life that was also found to be common in patients with heart failure is also a prognostic factor for repeated hospitalizations and death (6).

The high prevalence of distress among the population of patients with heart failure, along with the broad impact on the patient's quality of life, requires attention to detail and the implementation of interventions aimed at reducing levels of distress. Very few studies describe interventions aimed at alleviating distress in patients with heart failure. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is reported to improve both the functional and emotional levels of these patients, resulting in the relief of their symptoms of depression. Using relaxation, Bio-Feedback devices have also achieved a reduction in depression of heart failure patients. Research testing the efficacy of psychological treatment using the interpersonal approach now is being performed; it is funded by the U.S. NIMH and is, at present, in the initial recruitment stages (National Institute of Mental Health, 2010). Studies examining the beneficial effects of group therapy are few in number and most of them utilize a Cognitive Behavioral approach. This therapeutic orientation has been found to be effective when the disease is moderate or the prognosis is favorable. However, outcomes tend to differ greatly when it comes to patients in advanced stages of the condition. These patients are also confronted with fundamental aspects of their own mortality. A large body of literature about psychological interventions for these patients exists. Many of these interventions are based on an Existential Approach aimed at facilitating responses to the unique distress of patients in an advanced stage of the disease (7).

This study examines the contribution of a group therapy program based on the Existential Approach aimed at reducing distress in patients with heart failure.