One primary emotional effect of hypertension on an individual is the feeling of disappointment as he has been diagnosed to have an elevated blood pressure. He may also feel that he neglected taking good care of his body in the past and that he is now paying for the consequences. In addition, the development of hypertension can also influence the quality of activities that he is performing in his daily life.
1. Relationships
An individual with hypertension can influence the quality of relationships that he carries with other individuals. The members of the family of the patient will be most affected by hypertension, as changes in the patient’s diet have to be monitored. There may be a change in the kind and preparation of meals that are set on the dinner table, as the patient will have to refrain from eating fatty and salty foods (Lima de Gusmao et al. , 2009). It would be offensive if fatty foods were still served at the dinner table when the members of the family are aware that the patient may not eat these dishes.
2. Functioning
A person with hypertension will have to modify his activities in order to adapt to his medical condition. The patient should thus be careful of performing extremely physical activities that may increase his blood pressure. In addition, the patient should also learn to relax in order to prevent his body from overly reacting to external stimuli.
3. Recreation
In terms of recreation, an individual with hypertension should be cautious in his choice of form of recreation. For example, if he used to play tennis for 3 hours every Saturday, then it is much better that he play the same sport for a shorter duration, such as 2 hours, in order to avoid any further complications. He should also monitor the amount of alcohol and cigarettes that he consumes as these factors can affect his condition.
4. Work
An individual with hypertension will be cautious in his activities at work, wherein he will make sure that his activities are not too stressful, as this may increase his blood pressure at any time. His social interactions with co-workers may also change because he may not go drinking with them any more or his drinking may be decreased due to his medical condition and the medications he is continuously taking.
II. Effects on Family Functioning of Hypertension
Hypertension can affect the family of a patient because more time is needed in monitoring his blood pressure. In addition, there will be more visits to the doctor as his condition has to be checked several times each years, especially when the patient has developed complications such as diabetes. There may also be a change in the functioning of the family because a treatment regimen for hypertension is often associated with spending some amount of money to buy the medications. If the family is not financially stable, the medication expenses may result in a change in the entire budget of the household.
III. Impact on Community/Society of Hypertension
An individual with hypertension can also affect his immediate community or society because he will have to refrain from highly physical activities that are held by his community. For example, the individual may not be able to join his community group on hiking trips as this may aggravate his condition. Any social gatherings that involve alcohol, such as drinking parties should be avoided because this can affect the medications he is taking for his condition. The quality of social interactions of an individual with hypertension is thus affected.
References
- Lima de Gusmao, J. , Mion, D. , Jr. , Pierin and A. M. G. (2009). Health-related quality of life and blood pressure control in hypertensive patients with and without complications. Clinics, 64, 619-628.