Managing CHF and Depression in an Elderly Patient: Being Open to Collaborative Care

More than five million Americans suffer from Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). Many studies have shown that elderly patients hospitalized for CHF are likely to have comorbid diagnoses of major depression. This article presents the case of Henry, who was hospitalized at age 82 for an acute episode of CHF. Following news of his grim prognosis, and the death of his wife, Henry began showing signs of depression. The SPEAK (Schedule, Pleasurable activities, Exercise, Assertiveness, Kind words to myself) approach, a cognitive-behavioral therapy described in this article, was used to optimize treatment for Henry's depression, while a Disease Management Program improved Henry's physical health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)