Whether it was the breakup of a deep romantic relationship, betrayal by a person you believed to be a good friend or an unpredictable, traumatic experience that rocked the ground underneath you, everyone has experienced the sick and sinking feeling a broken heart can trigger. Emotional and psychological distress that results from these types of experiences can be equaled by physiological distress and actual damage (Arya, 2024).
When we experience distress psychologically or emotionally, it triggers the same part of the brain that responds to physical harm with physical pain. Emotional pain is felt physically. Heartbreak causes physical pain. Depending on the person, being “sick at heart” can be coupled with digestive upsets such as stomachaches and nausea.
It may affect cognitive processes, leading to memory problems or difficulty expressing oneself verbally. It can affect the respiratory system and leave us struggling to catch our breath or hold our breath. The nervous system may be affected, leaving us weak in our knees, numb, or feeling like we could be “knocked over by a feather.” The circulatory system can also be affected, and our blood pressure may rise, our heart might pound, and in some severe cases, our heart might literally “break.”
Broken heart syndrome, which is known in the medical field as takotsubo cardiomyopathy or stress cardiomyopathy, is real. Stress cardiomyopathy is a genuine physiological response to multiple forms of trauma, including heartbreak, loss of a loved one, and other significant stressors. In some rare cases, a broken heart can be fatal.
People experiencing broken heart syndrome or stress cardiomyopathy have many of the same symptoms of an actual heart attack, including the crushing chest pain that we associate with heart attacks. Still, the person’s arteries look normal and not obstructed. There are two forms of takotsubo cardiomyopathy; the primary type is caused by emotional distress, and the secondary form is caused by a physical injury or stressor, such as major physical trauma or some underlying illness (Arya, 2024).
Not surprisingly, the primary type has a much better prognosis than the secondary type. It’s believed that the initial stress can trigger an overproduction of catecholamines, which affect the heart. However, the ebbing and flowing of high emotions can regulate the catecholamine levels in the body. In the secondary form, the accompanying physical illness may not allow for decreased levels until the illness is healed.
Both women and men may experience stress cardiomyopathy, but more women are diagnosed with it than men. In addition, women fare better than men and have a lower mortality rate than men (Abuelazm et al., 2023). It’s believed that men tend to have more complications or a critical underlying issue. This also suggests that men may be less likely to seek care for symptoms, and the “broken heart syndrome” may be the medical crisis that actually motivates help-seeking.
We all learn early that there is no easy path to healing a broken heart, whether it’s the result of a trauma, a breakup, or a betrayal. If you are also diagnosed with takotsubo cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome, medicine, and bed rest are the recommended treatments. If you’re suffering from an emotional blow that has temporarily knocked you off your feet, time and self-compassion are the only treatments that offer a reliably positive prognosis. What are some effective ways to practice self-compassion?
References
Abuelazm, M., Saleh, O., Hassan, A. R., Ahmad, S., Albarakat, M. M., Abdalshafy, H., ... & Paul, T. K. (2023). Sex difference in clinical and management outcomes in patients with Takotsubo syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Current Problems in Cardiology, 48(4), 101545.
Arya, P., Panza, J. A., & Chhabra, L. (2024). Updates on Prognostication of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: A Literature Review. Heart and Mind, 8(1), 21-28.
Can a Broken Heart Kill You?
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19.01.2024
Whether it was the breakup of a deep romantic relationship, betrayal by a person you believed to be a good friend or an unpredictable, traumatic experience that rocked the ground underneath you, everyone has experienced the sick and sinking feeling a broken heart can trigger. Emotional and psychological distress that results from these types of experiences can be equaled by physiological distress and actual damage (Arya, 2024).
When we experience distress psychologically or emotionally, it triggers the same part of the brain that responds to physical harm with physical pain. Emotional pain is felt physically. Heartbreak causes physical pain. Depending on the person, being “sick at heart” can be coupled with digestive upsets such as stomachaches and nausea.
It may affect cognitive processes, leading to memory problems or difficulty expressing oneself verbally. It can affect the respiratory system and leave us struggling to catch our breath or hold our breath.........
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