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Key points
- Broken heart syndrome, a medical condition, can mimic a heart attack and even be fatal in rare cases.
- Women are more likely to experience this disorder, but it is more likely to be fatal for men.
- Triggers include romantic breakups, betrayal by partners or friends, and emotional traumas.
- Research shows emotional distress triggers the release of stress hormones like catecholamines.
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).
Heartache and Physical Pain
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.
What Helps Us Heal?
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?
- Make space for mindfulness in your life. Awareness and appreciation of the present moment help you focus on the present and let go of attachment to the past or unhelpful worries about the future.
- Eat a healthy diet that is full of fresh fruits and vegetables. Research supporting the positive effects of a healthy diet on psychological and emotional well-being continues to expand. Just making a few changes in your diet can decrease depression and anxiety. Yes, Mom was right: Eating your fruits and vegetables will keep you healthy.
- Spend your time with the people that accept you and love you for who you are. Sometimes, what helps us most is being in the company of friends and family. When we’ve experienced romantic rejection, the key is to fill that new gap in our emotional landscape with supportive friends, not to ricochet right back into a romantic relationship.
- Self-pity isn’t a good look on anyone, so don’t waste too much time wallowing. Don’t allow yourself to spend too much time retreating from the world. Cocooning for a weekend isn’t harmful; stopping out of life for a week suggests symptoms of depression that may need to be addressed head-on and, perhaps, with the help of a counselor.
- Please don’t waste a moment entertaining thoughts of revenge; research shows that the only person hurt by revenge fantasies is the person who allows himself to continue to be dragged down by the past. Don’t feed the fantasies of “getting even.” Remind yourself that living well is the best revenge, and commit yourself to moving forward without the negative energy.
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.
