Cardiac Neurosis - causes, therapy and symptoms

Overcome heart neurosis

Cardiac neurosis is also known as cardiophobia, cardiac phobia, Da-Costa syndrome or Effort syndrome. It is one of the hypochondriac disorders. The focus is on the fear of an unrecognized heart disease. An organic heart disease is usually not available. Often the heart neurosis is associated with panic-like anxiety attacks. Those affected are also referred to as Herzhypochonder or Herzneurotiker. They are constantly worried about their heart function and, for example, check their pulse or blood pressure more than once a day. The anxiety can become so strong among those affected that it comes to panic attacks, dread and a complete social withdrawal. Before a cardiac neurosis is diagnosed, cardiac neurotics often have a long ordeal.

contents

• Overcome heart neurosis
• Symptoms of heart anxiety
• causes
• disease
• diagnosis
• Treatment of cardiac neurosis
• Naturopathy in cardiac phobia
• homeopathy

Symptoms of heart anxiety

In contrast to the symptoms of a heart attack, sufferers can in many cases precisely locate the pain of the heart. The symptoms associated with cardiac neurosis include all vegetative, subjectively overvalued concomitants of anxiety. These include, for example:

• Sweats that often spread over the whole body,
• Tachycardia,
• Stitches in the heart area,
• Pain in the left arm,
• a general feeling of tightness in the chest,
• acute hypertension,
• greatly increased heart rate,
• nausea,
• dizziness,
• Difficulty breathing, such as shortness of breath to hyperventilation,
• sleep disorders,
• In the presence of a doctor, the symptoms often resolve quickly,
• A cardiologist can not find any physical causes for the symptoms.

Sweats with no apparent reason that spread to the whole body, among other things, an indication of a heart neurosis. (Image: Minerva Studio / fotolia.com)

Duration of a seizure
A neurotic attack can take fifteen minutes to two hours. The heart neurotics can feel exactly the heart and pulse and focus massively on it. By the associated anxiety, they in turn affect the heart rate, which amplifies the symptoms: The famous vicious circle begins. Affected persons become so much more symptomatic that such an attack can end in emergency practice or in the hospital.

The fear of fear
Between acute anxiety attacks, most cardiac neurotics then plague anxiety (phobophobia). This restricts daily life so that those affected plan each step. They prefer to move in the vicinity of medical practices or hospitals, car trips are planned in this regard and nocturnal activities largely ceased.

Thoughts are constantly circulating around the heart, self-observation of heart-specific symptoms, and the fear of being heart-sick puts the body in constant alarm and causing stress. Many sufferers worry so much about their physical well-being that they do not trust themselves at all. They avoid any activity behind which they suspect potential dangers.

Constant restraint
Heart neurotics conserve themselves constantly and avoid physical stress that could possibly have a negative effect on their heart function. This brings them more and more into social offside. They no longer go out and stay out of concern for their health, only in their own homes. Trifles such as a harmless cold or a loud bang can terrify those affected and trigger a renewed fear cycle.

causes

Cardiac neurosis is one of the somatoform autonomic dysfunctions. This means that the physical ailments caused by the disease have no physical but psychological causes. The symptom picture is more pronounced in the male sex and often occurs over the age of 40 years. In Germany, about 100,000 people suffer from this disease.

In most cases, cardiac neurosis has no physical but psychological causes. (Image: fotomek / fotolia.com)

Traumatic events as a trigger
Triggers are usually real experiences of abandonment, for example, the death or illness of a close relative, separation from the beloved partner, but also cases of cardiac death or heart disease in the circle of acquaintances or family environment.

The worries and fears of such situations result in heart neurotics at some point in the first attack, after which sufferers then focus more on their heart function. They fall into a protective attitude that excludes them more and more socially. This often causes further phobias, such as the agora or claustrophobia (agoraphobia = fear of large squares, claustrophobia = fear of tightness).

Pre-existing diseases as a trigger
People who have already suffered a heart attack as a result of excessive stress, the intake of drugs such as heroin and cocaine or alcoholism and who needed emergency medical treatment can also develop a heart attack following the traumatic experience.

Causes in childhood
According to specialist literature, a disturbed relationship between the parents and their child is a risk factor for the development of heart anxiety later in life. Heart neurotics often describe their mothers as overprotective and dominant. An early separation of the parents or a neglect of the child is a possible reason for the disease development.

Conflicts and problems
Unresolved problems, difficult life situations, conflicts and stress affect cardiac function. This reaction can be misinterpreted and perceived as a serious illness. This can be the cornerstone of a heart attack.

disease

Heart-ridden people are full of fear of cardiac arrest or cardiac death. That's why they constantly monitor heart rate and blood pressure. With heart stumble they get immediately panic. They continually ask themselves about their current state. Examples are sentences like:

• "Does my heart really beat?"
• "Is my heart rate too fast?"
• "Did not I feel a sting in my chest?"

People with heart neurosis make frequent visits to the doctor and constant pulse checks. (Image: stokkete / fotolia.com)

Out of this fear, activities are stopped or not started. Physical stress is avoided. Lonely areas are bypassed by car and important phone numbers of doctors and hospitals constantly carried. Heart disease reports are either consumed intensively or completely avoided.

Affected people often do not feel taken seriously
Heart neurotics often do not feel taken seriously. According to their own assessment, they are really sick and are always looking for internists, cardiologists or neurologists to finally get help. In the presence of the medical profession, most patients feel the same way much better, because they feel safe there. If no organic disorders have been found, most patients will recover for a while. But after a few days or weeks, the question torments whether the doctor has not overlooked a heart defect or a heart disease. Soon a doctor's appointment will be arranged.

The social offside
Cardiac neurosis is primarily mental. Many sufferers suffer accordingly mentally. Patients with heart anxiety often try to avoid things and situations that could trigger anxiety. Any places that connect them with fear are shunned. However, leaving, leaving the house becomes more and more difficult over time.

Even the families, friends and work colleagues often do not know how to behave properly. Some turn away from advice or helplessness more and more of the person concerned. Many heart neurotics are lonely. Due to the lack of activity also the physical condition decreases, which is why physical activities are increasingly perceived as exhausting. This again raises the question of whether it is the symptoms of severe heart disease.

Cycle of fear
The heart neurosis puts the patients in a permanent state of tension and alarm. This can give rise to the fear of fear, the phobophobia. This is often unaware of those affected. Even small things like a loud noise can trigger an anxiety attack. The massive fear will panic. Panic intensifies the symptoms. Heart anxiety can lead to a panic attack, which in turn strengthens the heart's anxiety.

Heart neurotics increase so much in their fear that it sometimes comes to panic attacks, which are interpreted by those affected as a heart attack. (Image: eggeeggjiew / fotolia.com)

diagnosis

People with existing heart anxiety need to be thoroughly screened to rule out potential heart disease. It must be remembered that patients with existing heart disease also develop cardiac neurosis, as cardiac neurotics can get heart disease. As investigation methods serve:

• Control of blood pressure and pulse,
• Resting and Exercise ECG (Electrocardiogram),
• Echocardiography (ultrasound examination of the heart),
• extensive blood tests,
• if necessary, cardiac catheterization.

The influence of the psyche
Often, a psychiatrist or psychologist must first be called in to make the diagnosis. Research has shown that 15 to 20 percent of out-patients in cardiology specialist practices are cardiac neurotics. It can take months or years to diagnose cardiac phobia. Until then, a number of sufferers have already undergone invasive diagnostic procedures such as the non-hazardous cardiac catheterization. Many doctors often diagnose functional heart disease only to provide the patient with a diagnosis. However, sufferers experience their suffering as very real - including actual pain.

Most patients feel calm for a while after detailed examinations and discussion with the doctor. However, doubts reoccur after a while, the fear breaks out again and the vicious cycle begins again. Those affected will then demand further investigations. Therefore, cardiac neurotics are particularly common in medical practices. Unfortunately, repeated invasive examinations can increase anxiety and should therefore be used with great care.

Treatment of cardiac neurosis

At the beginning of a therapy, the patient may be given psychotropic drugs to deal with the severe anxiety attacks. Basically, it usually takes to eliminate cardiac neurosis, however, a psychotherapy. This should strengthen self-confidence and change the view of oneself. Depending on the patient's situation, cognitive behavioral therapy or psychodynamic therapies such as psychoanalysis are usually used.

Psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy or psychodynamic therapies have good chances of success in the treatment of cardiac neurosis. (Picture: Picture-Factory / fotolia.com)

Cognitive behavioral therapy
As part of a cognitive-behavioral therapy, cardiac neurotics learn how to deal with the disease and how to behave when seizures occur. Key elements are exercise and physical exertion such as jogging, walking or swimming, to show those affected that their heart is resilient so that they regain more confidence in their body.

Psychodynamic therapies
In the case of psychodynamic procedures, the processing of personal history plays a central role. The processing of traumatic events and experiences with caregivers should lead to more mental stability and self-confidence in this form of therapy, which should help in overcoming the fear.

relaxation training
Targeted relaxation training for stress relief such as autogenic training or progressive muscle relaxation, is just as much a therapy as patience, as the heart neurosis is a long-term disease. In some severe cases, inpatient admission makes sense. Especially if outpatient behavioral or psychotherapies were unsuccessful. Overall, the chances of success are good if the patients can get involved in the therapy.

Naturopathy in cardiac phobia

Heart neurosis is a condition that must be treated by experienced physicians. An accompanying naturopathic treatment can additionally support the therapy. The nervous hyper excitability and the unstable mood associated with the disease can be positively influenced by appropriate naturopathic treatment. In particular, diversion and diversion procedures belong here in the treatment spectrum of naturopathic practices.

cupping massage
Cupping massages with suitable essential oils have a relaxing, circulation-promoting and generally energizing effect. The prerequisite is that the heart neurosis is not based on any organic cause.

The circulation-enhancing and energizing effects of cupping massages can help people with heart neurosis to relax. (Image: Andrey Popov / fotolia.com)

Tension and muscle hardening
The patients are in constant alert, which of course can lead to massive tension and myogelosis (palpable, painful muscle hardening). In order to solve the muscle hardening is often used in naturopathy so-called Baunscheidtieren. The skin is slightly scratched and then a so-called Baunscheidtieröl applied, which is to stimulate blood circulation and lymphatic flow.

homeopathy

A detailed medical history, which should generally be based on any naturopathic treatment, is particularly important for constitutional treatment with homeopathy. Here, the appropriate remedy for the patients is determined individually. Examples are:

• Coffea,
• Cimicifuga,
• Gelsemium,
• Ignatia,
• Nux vomica.

Tachycardia, palpitations and restlessness
For palpitations, palpitations, constriction of the heart and restlessness complex agents are used. These contain substances like:

• Crataegus (hawthorn), an active ingredient that is given in palpitations and heart trouble,
• Cactus (Queen of the Night), which helps with cramping heartache or constriction of the heart,
• Gelsemium (yellow jasmine), which is mainly used for palpitations or the feeling that the heart would stop,
• Ignatia (Ignatius bean), the remedy for heartache,
• Sedative (soothing) plants such as valerian, St. John's wort, lemon balm, passion flower and hops.

Nausea and gastrointestinal disorders
For concomitant complaints such as nausea and vomiting as well as other gastrointestinal disorders, for example, remedies with:

• Caraway seed,
• fennel,
• coriander,
• ginger,
• peppermint.

Medicinal plants such as peppermint can help against the accompanying symptoms of heart anxiety. (Image: Marina Lohrbach / fotolia.com)

Fight the fears
Cardiac neurosis causes anxious patients. In order to do something against the constant fears, various Bach flower mixtures of Bach flower therapy are suitable. These can serve well as a complement to psychotherapy. The Bach Fear Blossoms are Aspen, Mimulus and Rock Rose. In order to stabilize the entire vegetative system of the affected persons, daily, daily changing showers, dry brushing and Kneipp foot baths complete the treatment. (sw, vb; updated February 27, 2018)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor)