Depression after Cardiac Transplant Treated with Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Paroxetine

This case study discusses the treatment of a 67-year-old man with no prior history of psychiatric illness diagnosed with major depression following cardiac transplantation. Shortly after surgery, the patient demonstrated depressive symptoms, including weight loss, emotional instability, and social isolation. Psychiatric consultation revealed that the patient first experienced these symptoms after learning that the donor heart he had received belonged to a woman. The patient had preconceived, stereotypical ideas that a woman’s heart would inhibit his physical recovery and transform him into a more emotional man. The patient was prescribed the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine and began interpersonal psychotherapy. Results from this case study indicate that treatment with paroxetine, combined with interpersonal psychotherapy, may be successful in treating patients who had transplants and suffer from postsurgical depression.