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Heartache and melancholy Broken Heart Syndrome Valentine's Day very bad
In the time around Valentine's Day, when the whole environment seems to be tickling, lovesickness is especially hard. The "broken heart" is not just a sentimental idea: stress and grief can actually have physical effects. The so-called Broken Heart syndrome can have similar symptoms to a heart attack.
Heartbroken on Valentine's Day worse
For people who are unhappy in love or have just left the partner, the time around Valentine's Day is particularly bad. The florists are thriving in florist shops, jewelers are hoping for good sales, red hearts are everywhere: as the lovers' day is celebrated, they are themselves trapped in their heartbreak and are constantly reminded of the happiness of others. Friends and acquaintances then usually well-intentioned tips against heartache ready, such as that one should talk about it and better not to roll around. Unfortunately, affected people often can not do much with it. It is particularly problematic when the physical suffering also comes to the mental suffering.
Heartache on Valentine's Day especially bad. Picture: Picture-Factory - fotolia Broken-heart syndrome as a disease
The fact that lovesickness also has physical effects has been known for decades. As the news agency dpa reports, cardiologists have been dealing with the so-called Broken Heart syndrome since the early 1990s as a disease. The stress cardiomyopathy, as the syndrome is called in the jargon, can occur in severe losses, separations and mental stress, explained Jürgen Pache, chief physician of cardiology at the Schön Klinik Starnberger See. According to the information, the disease is associated with symptoms similar to an infarction: The heart cramps together and the chest hurts. However, here is no closed vein the cause, but a stress-related constriction of the coronary arteries and thus a dysfunction of the heart muscle. "Affected are people who are suddenly in existential distress, for example, because suddenly the whole livelihood is withdrawn," said Pache.
Phenomenon first noted in older women
However, as the dpa message states, the syndrome can also occur after exercise or in conjunction with very severe physical pain, which in turn causes mental stress. According to the information, no cause can be identified in one third of the cases. Broken-heart syndrome was initially found mainly in older women who had lost their husband. Japanese physicians were the first to describe the phenomenon. They called it Takotsubo, because the shape of the left ventricle reminds of the same named octopus traps. In the meantime, according to dpa, 1,700 cases have been collected in an international register in order to better understand the rather rare phenomenon. Scientists reported in the journal "New England Journal of Medicine".
Lovesickness with severe physical effects
It is well known that mental stress, such as separation or bullying, can increase blood pressure. "These are extreme mental strains that have tremendous effects on the cardiovascular system," said Pache. Although people with lovesickness often report pain in the heart area, but usually they get by without medical help. Tension, abdominal pain, stomach problems, insomnia, tiredness, inner restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, limited ability to perform and a weakened immune system - lovesickness can severely affect the body. This is also confirmed by Iris Hauth, President of the German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology.
Affected persons should seek help
According to Hauth, experiments in the US have shown that mental pain and social rejection in the brain activate regions similar to those of physical pain. "There are a few studies that illustrate the mental processing of heartbroken heart disease with functional magnetic resonance imaging," said the Medical Director at the Center for Psychiatry of the Alexian St. Joseph Hospital in Berlin.
Even if almost every person in the course of his life has to endure separation, pain and unrequited love: "The heartache itself is scientifically relatively poorly studied." Long-term consequences are difficult to prove. As with other mental crises, people with lovesickness should seek help if they can not manage on their own. According to Hauth, sufferers should necessarily consult a therapist or psychiatrist in case of lack of concentration, depression or even thoughts of suicide. Already in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's "The Sorrows of the Young Werther" is impressively described that disappointed love ends in some cases suicidal.
"Victim" of Valentine's Day
Even though it's not proven, experts are observing that on Valentine's Day, as well as at Christmas, there's a lot of work for experts who are supposed to kink the problems that often come up through cracking and relationship crises on such days. "On days when there are high expectations of empathy and succession, it is easier to make a difference - especially if the relationship was already problematic," said Hauth. Sandra Neumayr, the vice president of the professional association of psychological counselors, has been in charge of the "victims" hotline since 2012 on Valentine's Day. According to dpa, she said it hurt to "see other lovers and be unhappy". And in existing relationships, conflicts are more difficult than usual. "On the day of love, one imagines something other than cold, strife, reproaches, and insults." (Ad)