Page 15 - UHN Centre for Mental Health Impact Report 2023

MEDICAL PSYCHIATRY

Integrating Heart and Mind Mental Health Assistance

Uncovering the Relationship Between Cardiac and Mental Health. Psychiatric Support for Outpatients with Physical Health Issues.

Dr. Melitta Mezody is a UHN cardiologist treating hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy, a disease related to excessive heart muscle growth.
Many of her patients are young, and struggle with anxiety, depression
and adjustment problems related to this lifelong illness.

She recently learned that they could be referred to UHN’s new Mental
Health in Medicine Clinic (MHiM) to receive psychiatric support. The
clinic provides this service to all UHN outpatients experiencing mental
health concerns while receiving treatment for a physical health illness.

One patient who suffered from palpitations found incredible relief
after being connected with a psychiatrist. Her anxiety and depression
subsided, allowing her to start a new job, and even have a second “I was shocked
child. how much
improvement
“The help they get through the MHiM clinic is more than I can provide my patients
with my cardiac medications,” says Dr. Mezody. “It’s heartwarming for made.
Ms. Galadriel Barrett Laffan and Dr. Dilip Koshy
me to see how patients become more stable and their cardiac issues Phenomenal.”
A new pilot project is embedding mental health nurse practitioner become much more manageable”
Galadriel Barrett Laffan into the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre’s – Dr. Melitta Mezody,
Peter Munk
Adult Congenital Cardiac Clinic, where she provides mental health MHiM was opened in 2021 with a $1-million gift from the Slaight Fami- Cardiac Centre
support to the 1,000+ cardiac patients the clinic serves each year. ly Foundation. The clinic supports more than 250 patients annually.

Outcomes are Using measurement-based screening tools, Galadriel identifies
poorer for patients who require psychiatric support and directs them

those with both according to a stepped care model which provides different levels
mental and of care based on the severity of their condition.
physical
health conditions “We know there is an interrelationship between cardiac disease
with life and mental health — cardiovascular patients with depression and
anxiety have higher mortality and morbidity rates and lengthier
expectancy hospital stays,” says Dr. Dilip Koshy, staff psychiatrist and project
shortened by
15-20 lead.

The next phases of the project will include expanding the service

years. to other cardiac clinics as well as a research initiative that will
combine data collected in the psychiatric sphere with biological
data from the cardiac system and use artificial intelligence to try
and identify associations between the two. (UHN’s Techna Insti-
tute will play a crucial role in the project’s AI-element.)
14 15