Psychiatric assessment of patients with life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.

OBJECTIVE

This article describes the development of a protocol specifically designed for the psychiatric assessment of patients with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.

METHOD

Psychiatric assessment occurs in the context of a team approach in which the cardiologist has a pivotal role. Initial findings and one-year follow-up data on the first twenty-five patients evaluated psychiatrically are presented.

RESULTS

Findings tend to confirm that psychiatric complaints are common on initial assessment and suggest that patients with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias who do not use the psychological mechanism of denial and volunteer psychological complaints may constitute a subgroup of patients who would be more amenable to psychiatric intervention compared to those denying psychological complaints at initial psychiatric interview.

CONCLUSION

Psychiatrists and associated professionals should become more involved with patients with life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.