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Review
. 2025 Jun 25;27(1):102.
doi: 10.1007/s11886-025-02253-4.

Psychological Interventions for Reducing Distress in Patients with Cardiac Arrhythmias

Josefin Särnholm  1   2 , Allison E Gaffey  3   4 , Meghan Reading Turchio  5 , Angelo Biviano  6 , Matthew M Burg  3   4   7
Affiliations
Review

Psychological Interventions for Reducing Distress in Patients with Cardiac Arrhythmias

Josefin Särnholm et al. Curr Cardiol Rep. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: Cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation (AF) and ventricular arrhythmias (VA), are associated with anxiety, depression, and poor quality of life (QoL). These and related aspects of psychological health significantly influence the clinical course and prognosis of arrhythmia patients, yet their integration into routine arrhythmia care remain limited. This focused review examines the use of psychological interventions, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), in addressing psychological health in arrhythmia patients and discusses strategies for integrating these interventions into arrhythmia care.

Recent findings: CBT has demonstrated efficacy in reducing anxiety, depression, cardiac-related fears, and avoidance behaviors while improving QoL in arrhythmia patients. Further research is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions in real-world care systems. Multidisciplinary care collaborations are essential for advancing the integration of psychological health within arrhythmia care. Integrating CBT for psychological health into arrhythmia care can improve clinical outcomes.

Keywords: Anxiety; Atrial fibrillation; Cognitive behavioral therapy; Depression; Psychological distress; Ventricular arrhythmias.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent: No animal or human subjects by the authors were used in this study. Competing Interests: Dr. Josefin Särnholm has received a lecture fee from Amarin Corporation. Dr. Meghan Reading Turchioe has received consulting fees from Boston Scientific, and is a co-founder of Iris OB Health and also holds equity in Iris OB Health. Dr. Angelo Biviano serves as a medical advisory board member for Boston Scientific and GE Healthcare. No other conflicts of interest were declared.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Integration of psychological distress interventions in arrhythmia care Psychological distress—including cardiac-related anxiety, symptom preoccupation, hypervigilance, avoidance, and depressive symptoms—can negatively impact quality of life, perceived arrhythmia severity, and healthcare engagement. Psychological interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and stress management aim to reduce distress and improve psychological health. These interventions may enhance outcomes across multiple domains relevant to arrhythmia care. Note. The arrow from Psychological distress to Psychological Interventions reflects a proposed clinical pathway in which elevated distress may lead to identification, referral, or engagement in treatment
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