Coronary Heart Disease: A Case Study

906 Words2 Pages

DIAGNOSIS: Robert Eliot, an in-demand physician, lecturer, and researcher has displayed many characteristics with a type-A behavior pattern. He shows signs of hostility, competitiveness, and impatience throughout his daily routine (Eliot & Breo, 1998, p.100). His aggressive nature in combination of stress had caused his blood pressure to rise to unhealthy levels. He often has trouble remembering important details from sleep deprivation due to the nature of his job. According to DSM-5, symptoms that are related to stress that cause difficulties in daily functioning for more than 6 months is a sign of a conversion disorder: Coronary Heart Disease. CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS: What led to the diagnosis of coronary heart disease can be pinpointed …show more content…

From a biological dimension, the lack adequate sleep and exercise due to having to devote all of his time to work, resulted in the buildup of plaque in his cardiac arteries, causing hypertension (Krantz, Whittaker, & Sheps, 2011). From a social viewpoint, being a medical doctor itself is a very stressful profession since the workload takes up most of your time. And finally from a sociocultural viewpoint, being half Lebanese, he is determined to make a name for himself since opportunities are not readily available to minorities as his father had told him before (Eliot & Breo, 1998). Overall, his excessive determination to rise to the top of being a world-renowned cardiologist had not just only affected his health, but it also reduced the quality of his relationship with his family as he never has time for …show more content…

TREATMENT & PROGNOSIS: The treatment that might be most effective for Robert Eliot’s psychophysiological disorder is relaxation training and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Over time, the client’s quality of life will greatly improve since he will be able to control his stress by relaxation and suppression of excessive thoughts about work. And in regards to his physiological symptoms, his blood pressure would return to healthy levels as long as stress is being well managed (Davidson, Mostofsky, & Whang,

Open Document