Is It Possible To Die Of Sadness? How To Prevent Grief Burnout
Throughout the history of literature and poetry, hundreds of dramatic stories have been told in which one of the characters suffered such affliction after the loss of their loved one that I would die of sadness However, can this happen in real life?
Grief and sadness do not tend to be clinically valid reasons for death, but numerous studies point to the possibility that a healthy person may end up suffering. serious heart problems and even death due to great psychological suffering
Relationship between emotional health and heart disease
Studies that try to find different correlations between emotional health and physical diseases, specifically cardiac diseases, have increased in recent years. Some of this research suggests that in people suffering from moderate or severe depression this works as a risk factor when it comes to suffering heart failure.
These studies conclude that as depressive symptoms become more severe, the risk of developing a heart condition increases. Therefore, Yes, it is possible to die of sadness if the person does not monitor their symptoms nor does he come for help.
Such is the level of connection that exists between depression and heart problems that the American Heart Association considered the possibility of including depression in the list of risk factors when suffering a heart accident
Dying from sadness?
One of these studies carried out by a group of Norwegian researchers establishes a direct connection between hormonal imbalance, generated by depression, and the different effects that this causes on the heart. According to this work, depression can favor the release of hormones associated with stress, which cause the appearance of inflammatory phenomena or atherosclerosis.
At the same time, other research relates the experience of recent grief to the death of the person experiencing it. According to these studies, after the death of the partner, the person is much more susceptible to heart disease or stroke even going so far as to specify that this risk is much greater between 14 and 18 days after the death of the loved one.
This same study warns of the gloomy perspective after the death of a life partner. Since, even though the person is healthy, during the grieving process the risk of death from a heart condition increases by 57 percent.
The physical symptoms associated with this grieving process include from irregular heartbeat or fast pulse to atrial fibrillation These symptoms favor the appearance of heart diseases or accidents, the most common causes of these deaths “due to grief” being strokes and dementia.
broken heart syndrome
Broken heart syndrome, also known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or stress-induced cardiomyopathy, is a muscular condition of the heart that may appear after an experience of very intense emotional stress.
This broken heart syndrome can appear in healthy people who did not suffer from any type of previous heart disorder. Despite being a temporary problem for the heart muscles, it can be important enough to cause death.
This phenomenon falls within the classification of myopathies, since the weakening of the heart muscles causes difficulties when pumping blood, leading the person to suffer heart failure.
In broken heart syndrome, this weakening occurs after experiencing a highly emotionally charged experience, such as the death of a loved one.
Approximately 90% of people affected by this disease are elderly women, specifically women from 66 years of age. But it can also occur in men or younger people who have predisposing factors to it.
Symptoms
The list of symptoms associated with broken heart syndrome is very similar to that of myocardial infarction. Which include:
However, these symptoms rarely end the patient’s life. Only in 10% of cases do patients They have a real risk of dying and are those who present symptoms of severe hypotension, decreased consciousness and pulmonary edema.
Causes
At the moment, the medical and scientific community has not been able to understand the exact cause of this syndrome. Just as it has not been able to find out why it mainly affects women.
The main theory states that an avalanche of stress-related hormones released into the bloodstream In certain moments that carry a great emotional burden, it can be the cause of this type of myopathy.
This theory details that the abundance of these stress hormones can trigger a contraction of the heart arteries; producing ischemia of the cardiac muscle and causing the symptoms of cardiomyopathy.
The main difference between this syndrome and the rest of myopathies is that, in broken heart syndrome, the arteries are not obstructed by atherosclerosis plaques, and the person is healthy in all physical aspects.
Likewise, as discussed on several occasions throughout the article, broken heart syndrome It usually occurs after the person experiences a strongly emotional event
Treatment
There is no established treatment for broken heart syndrome. Typically, the intervention focuses on support aimed at both the psychological symptoms arising after a stressful incident; as well as physical symptoms, through the administration of diuretics and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors recommended for the control of heart failure.
If treated in time, the mortality rate of this type of cardiomyopathies is less than 5%, with the person seeing a complete recovery in approximately two weeks.
Tips to avoid reaching this point
The most important point to keep in mind to avoid reaching the point of almost dying, or dying, from grief is to take care of our own mental and emotional health.
Experiencing grief is a strengthening experience if done properly and without trying to repress it. If you feel lost or disoriented, it is necessary to request the help of a psychologist to guide the person through the different stages of this process.
Likewise, if the person perceives any of the symptoms described above, it is vitally important that they go to a primary care center to rule out the possibility of the symptoms developing.
