Spirituality Can Help in Coping with a Difficult Diagnosis

When heart failure worsens, having a sense of meaning, purpose and value in life can improve quality of life and reduce complications.

Published: February 22, 2023

Screen Shot 2023-02-17 at 12.50.02 PM — © Image Source | Getty Images Spirituality, but not religion, helps people cope with a terminal diagnosis and may lengthen their life.

Thanks to new medications and advanced treatment options, many patients with heart failure are living longer, but not necessarily better. The unpredictable clinical course of the syndrome, with its many ups and downs, can leave patients flip-flopping between optimism and despair. Anxiety and depression are common, and depression is the strongest predictor of worsening symptoms and increased risk of death.