There is a flurry of new research findings about how heart heals the heart:
o A heart patient overly dependent on a spouse may have a harder time making necessary life-style changes in diet and exercise.
o For women heart attack victims, spousal support is critical--but hard to come by. "The family sometimes feels abandoned," explains Martin Sullivan, "and they don't want the woman to take time out of her duties as a wife and mother to make important life-style changes. Women are more willing to change for men."
o For men, a heart attack may shatter the sole definition of self (as family provider). The introduction of larger concepts of the self is therapeutic.
o Patients who feel a sense of self-efficacy and control over their disease do better than those who don't.
o Depression and anxiety affect pain perception and the capacity to function in the face of medical symptoms.
o In a study at Stanford University, behavioral counseling after heart attack, especially for hard-driving Type A individuals, lowered the rate of recurrent heart attacks by 45%--the same as the most powerful prescription drugs.
