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Broken Heart Syndrome
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Valentine's Day can be very difficult for many who've lost a loved one, suffered a break up or on the brink of separation or divorce.Studies have shown that sudden emotional stress can trigger a severe, but reversible heart muscle weakness that mimics a heart attack. This condition known as Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy is sometimes called The Broken Heart Syndrome.
First described in Japan 15 years ago, Broken Heart Syndrome occurs because emotional trauma floods the body with stress hormones, over-stimulating the nervous system and stunning the heart muscle. Unlike a heart attack, Broken Heart Syndrome is reversible if diagnosed early. Patients are hospitalized and can recover within days - with no permanent damage to their hearts. Once medical issues are stabilized, seeking a trained mental health specialist will help cure the emotional trauma. Inoculating yourself against Broken Heart Syndrome can help you heal from your love trauma and make it through these emotional calendar events. Facts about Broken Heart Syndrome • Profound emotional sadness doesn't just weigh heavy on your mind. It significantly impacts your body. • The depths of being heart-broken lowers your immune system, increases blood pressure and heart rate and causes significant muscle weakness, just to name a few. • Stress from heartbreak grief can flood the body with hormones, specifically Cortisol, which causes that heavy-achy-feeling you get in your chest area. • The heartache that comes from lost love can increase the likelihood of a heart attack. In fact, a recent study showed that a person who has a tendency to be depressed and has recently suffered a love trauma was 5 times more likely to die than a person with depression alone or a heart condition alone. • The actual medical term for this deeply emotional mind/body experience is called Stress Cardiomyopathy also known as Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy. The colloquial term: A broken heart. • Women are ten times more likely to suffer from Broken Heart Syndrome than men. * * * * * * * * * * * For more tips or to schedule an interview with Dr. Deborah Serani contact Sam Caggiula, Publicity Manager at Rowman & Littlefield, Phone: +1-301-459-3366 Email: scaggiula@rowman.com About the author: Dr. Deborah Serani is the author of "Living with Depression," by Rowman and Littleflield. Serani is a go-to expert on the subject of depression whose interviews can be found in ABC News, Newsday, Psychology Today, The Chicago Sun Times, Glamour Magazine, The Associated Press, and affiliate radio station programs at CBS and NPR, just to name a few. Serani has also served as a technical advisor for the NBC television show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Deborah Serani, Psy.D.
Author of "Living with Depression."
New York, NY
1.631.366.4674
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