Psicopatología y personalidad de pacientes cardiópatas / Psychopathology and personality of patients with heart disease

PURPOSE: To know the psychological aspects involved in cardiac ailments and whether there was a distinctive personality profile of each disorder. METHODS: We evaluated 137 patients with congenital heart, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or awaiting a heart transplant who came to the National Institute of Cardiology Ignacio Chavez. We used multiphase Personality Inventory, which provides information on personality traits and psychopathology. RESULTS: There were significant differences between some cardiac sufferings and the scales that the inventory measures, as well as the existence of differences between sexes. CONCLUSIONS: The diseases associated with the heart involve not only some physical and psychological consequences, but also significant psychological consequences depending on the type of heart disease. Those with a congenital heart had better conditions than other emotional heart diseases studied. For their part, those who have suffered IAM are showing higher depressive Levels (being higher in males), while those more concerned about their health in this study were patients awaiting heart transplantation. That is why it is important to take into account the psychological aspects in the cardiac conditions to achieve a better multidisciplinary management.

Estudio descriptivo de la personalidad y psicopatología en pacientes con síncope vasovagal / Psychopathology and personality in patients with vasovagal syncope

Syncope is characterized by a sudden and brief Loss of the normal state of consciousness (fainting), caused by multiple factors (biological, psychological and social), which consequences can be Lethal if it is not timely diagnosed and treated. These episodes affect the total sphere of the subject (on an individual, work, school, social, and family level). PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Contribute to the study of vasovagal syncope (WS) patients, describing their personality and psychopathological characteristics. METHOD: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was used to evaluate psychopathology in a sample of 30 subjects diagnosed with (WS), attended in the National Institute of Cardiology "lgnacio Chávez", making a descriptive analysis of the complete sample, regarding demographic variables and inventory scores. RESULTS: The scales with higher scores found within these subjects were hypochondriasis (= 67.43), depression (= 69.83), hysteria (= 67.83) among others. CONCLUSIONS: In general, patients with (WS) show significant levels of anxiety and depression, dissatisfaction, bad mood, pessimism, concern, somatic complaints, difficulty to solve problems adaptively, among others. This study remarks the importance of knowing these characteristics to implement treatments that manage this disease properly and may improve patients quality of life, as well as their physical and mental health.