Interventions in a heart transplant recipient with a histrionic personality disorder

Organ transplantation is a psychosocially demanding process. Patients must undergo a comprehensive evaluation to await a donor organ that may never become available. After transplantation, recipients must deal with the acceptance of a new organ and comply with a medical regimen that includes numerous medications, follow-up exams, and procedures. Emotional well-being is monitored throughout the transplant process. However, despite the best of efforts and thorough pretransplant bio-psycho-social evaluations, it is possible for patients to have significant psychopathology that remains undetected. Following the stress of transplantation, such patients may present with exacerbation of symptomatology, which has the potential to negatively affect compliance and long-term outcome.