We all know how powerful a broken heart can be. In fact, the break-up of a romantic relationship is the leading cause for experiencing a first major depressive episode for adolescents.
Well now the medical community seems to be finding a link between emotional distress (e.g. the loss of a loved one) and heart attack symptoms. An article in the New York Times describes Stress cardiomyopathy, or Broken Heart Syndrome as a condition in which people experience heart attack symptoms, including abnormal EKG patterns and abnormal blood work, yet they display no arterial blockages. It’s seems that a portion of these cases of Broken Heart Syndrome are be linked with having previously experienced severe emotional distress.