Taylor Experiences Cardiovascular Disease, Job and Family Stress, and Type A Personality

Taylor Experiences Cardiovascular Disease, Job and Family Stress, and Type A Personality

(Biopsychosocial)

Clinical psychology is the integration of science, theory and the clinical knowledge to address, understand, prevent and relieve psychology dysfunction (Albus, 2010). Clinical psychology seeks to promote personal development in general. In this regard, I consider Taylor’s case study on clinical psychology. Taylor is a 60-year-old male of African American and Korean heritage. He works as a trial lawyer in the US. Taylor has been divorced from his wife for three years now following a highly contentious settlement. He has one son with two children. Taylor recently experienced a cardiac arrest after a longstanding history of hypertension. Taylor smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, he rarely exercises and works long hours in a high-stress job. The family of Tylor has a history with respect to cardiovascular diseases. His father passed on in his fifties. Moreover, cardiovascular disease is rampant throughout Taylor’s paternal family history. Enormous efforts have been invested to understand the genes and specific DNA sequence variants. The genetics of cardiovascular disease is still under research using the linking analysis and genetic association depending on the segregation pattern. These studies have revealed a useful method for identifying genes attributed cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, there is the likelihood that Taylor might have inherited the genes of cardiovascular disorder from the father. In order to avail a blueprint for Taylor, his cardiologist has recommended that he makes significant lifestyle and behavioral changes to maximize his opportunities for medical rehabilitation. Smoking is one of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease (Maslach & Jackson, 2013). Smoking increases blood pressure, decreases exercise tolerance and most dangerously, it increases the tendency for a blood clot. Cigarette smokers have a higher risk of developing several chronic disorders in which cardiovascular disease is one.

Biological factors

Taylor’s extensive family history of cardiovascular disease and his African American ethnicity place him at a higher risk for hypertension and heart attack. As aforementioned in this case study, Taylor’s father died of heart attack and there is the possibility of Taylor inheriting such traits. This is a biological factor which puts Taylor at an advanced risk. Being an African American origin, heart attacks may be attributed to various discriminations and even racism (Albus, 2010). Besides, Taylor’s record of cigarette smoking accompanied with lack of physical exercises places him at a higher risk. Blood clot resulting from excessive cigarette smoking can be rectified to some extent by regularly engaging in physical activities. Stressful work he engages in also is a biological factor in this case and the combined biological factors are likely to exacerbate his medical condition.

Psychological Factors

Taylor manifests the classic type A personality as hard-driving, competitive, aggressive, high-achieving, time-urgent individual. Type A personality is associated with the cardiovascular disease which attributes to high-stress jobs and lifestyles. The type A behavior patterns include hostility, time urgency and competitiveness (Maslach & Jackson, 2013). Therefore, Taylor’s personality, stressful work, and personal life may be the contributing factors to his health complications. His smoking habit and lack of exercises further reflect his tension and poor health.

Social Factors

The nature of life Taylor leads is making him vulnerable to the cardiovascular diseases (Maslach & Jackson, 2013). He lacks social life outside the work environment a condition which only worsens the situation. We have seen the falls in the type A category of personalities. Generally, he has a lot of duty to undertake. Moreover, Taylor divorced three years ago, it means even he was to have some time off duty, much anticipations are with regards to him being lonely. He lacks support any person can get from a partner (Maslach & Jackson, 2013). He is of biracial ethnicity and this has contributed to his feelings that he needs to perform extraordinarily at work to gain much-required commendations. He has to excel to fit in the ethnic minority in the field of law. Additionally, he is strongly identified with his mother’s Korean ancestry and traditions which were integrated into home and has been ultimately conflicted and alienated from both heritages given the dominantly African American appearance and the love for his father.

Biopsychosocial Formulation and Plan

Taylor is set to benefit from a number of the regimen of medication and the follow-up of physician’s prescription. He would also benefit from a number of interventions as well. The directive form the physician states that Taylor should stop smoking and start doing physical exercises. Nevertheless, this directive’s success is much dependent on the behavioral change which comes with a change in lifestyle. In contrast, changing behavior and lifestyle has become a rocket science to many today. Therefore, Taylor may benefit well from psychosocial consultation to develop a smoking cessation and exercise program. He should undergo cognitive behavior therapy treatment, and medical treatment interventions may be combined with as a blueprint for cigarette cessation. A behavioral program may be developed in conjunction with an exercise physiologists to develop a gradual buildup in exercise. The changes which come as result of physical exercises are gradual and may take longer than expected (Albus, 2010). However, they are safest natural means of curbing cardiovascular diseases. Physical exercise again if not done correctly and under the care of a physiologist, may turn to be disastrous instead. The gradual build-up exercise is key to ensuring proper blood flow is achieved.

Psychological intervention is also useful in contending with Taylor’s Type A personality. This intervention will also consider the response to the considerable work and personal stressors in his life. Such interventions may include cognitive-behavioral, psychoeducational and supportive techniques. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on the practical approach to rectify Taylor’s condition with the view of changing his thinking patterns or behaviors that are beyond people’s difficulty and so it changes the way he feels. CBT in general acts in such a way that it helps a person understands what is actually going on in his life (Maslach & Jackson, 2013). After this thought, CBT helps an individual to step out of his automatic and usual thoughts and test them out. CBT will encourage Taylor to have an introspection, and come up with the idea of stopping the habit of smoking. It is also a method of releasing depression for Taylor emanating from the divorce saga. The CBT intervention should be under the close check by psychologists. Taylor may also greatly benefit from increased social support. Social support is key to evading stress disorders like divorce. Consultations regarding his family relationship, ethnic attitudes and identities and leisure could be beneficial as well. However, while executing the consultations, Taylor should take care in order to choose an expert may be a family consultant with vast experience. Otherwise, the shared information may be leaked and this may become another source of cardiovascular problems. An expert in counseling must be able to restore the confidence in the clients by making the shared information be as much confidential as possible.

References

Albus, C. (2010). Psychological and social factors in coronary heart disease. Annals of medicine, 42(7), 487-494.

Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (2013). A social psychological analysis. Social psychology of health            and illness, 227.