Broken heart

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A broken heart is a common metaphor used when a human being suffers an emotional or physical loss, to the extent that it begins to cause them physical or physiological pain. This condition is known as 'heartbreak'. In literature, traditional or otherwise, "dying of a broken heart" is a euphemism for suicide.

Contents 1 Philosophical views and popular references 2 Symptoms 3 Treatment 4 Biological extent 4.1 In animals 5 See also 6 References

[edit] Philosophical views and popular references

For many people having a broken heart is something that may not be recognized at first, it takes time for an emotional or physical loss to be fully acknowledged. As Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson states:

Human beings are not always aware of what they are feeling. Like animals, they may not be able to put their feelings into words. This does not mean they have no feelings. Sigmund Freud once speculated that a man could be in love with a woman for six years and not know it until many years later. Such a man, with all the goodwill in the world, could not have verbalized what he did not know. He had the feelings, but he did not know about them. It may sound like a paradox — paradoxical because when we think of a feeling, we think of something that we are consciously aware of feeling. As Freud put it in his 1915 article The Unconscious: 'It is surely of the essence of an emotion that we should be aware of it.' Yet it is beyond question that we can 'have' feelings that we do not know about.^[1]

This biblical reference highlights the issues of pain surrounding a broken heart.

Psalm 69:20 Insults have broken my heart and left me weak, I looked for sympathy but there was none; I found no one to comfort me.

In this Psalm King David says that it is insults that have broken his heart, not loss or pain. It is also popular belief that rejection, minor or major can break an individuals heart. This heartbreak can be greatly increased if rejected by a loved one or someone with whom your respect lies.

In many legends and fictional tales, characters die after suffering devastating loss.^{[citation needed]} However, even in reality people die from what appears to be a broken heart. In 2003 Johnny Cash died within three months of his wife June Carter Cash. For some it is clear that Cash died of a broken heart. However this is not fact. Broken heart syndrome is commonly blamed for the death of a person whose spouse is already deceased, when in fact it is sudden emotional stress that can be caused by a traumatic breakup, the death of a loved one, or even the shock of a surprise party.^[2] Broken Heart syndrome is clinically different from a heart attack because the patient had few risk factors for heart disease and were previously healthy prior to the heart muscles weakening. The recovery rates for those suffering from "broken heart syndrome" were faster than those who'd had heart attacks and had complete recovery to the heart within two weeks.^[3]

[edit] Symptoms

The symptoms of a "broken heart" can manifest themselves through psychological pain but for many the effect is physical. Although the experience is regarded commonly as indescribable, the following is a list of common symptoms that occur and which may last for indefinite periods of time:

• A perceived tightness of the chest, similar to an anxiety attack
• Stomach ache and/or loss of appetite
• Partial or complete insomnia
• Nostalgia
• Apathy (loss of interest)
• Feelings of loneliness
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Loss of self-respect
• Medical or Psychological Illness
• Suicidal thoughts (in extreme cases)
• Nausea
• Denial

When we lose someone we love, no matter the cause, we feel distressed. We look back on all the good times we've had and our mind realizes that we'll never experience those again and it does hurt. Given enough time for acceptance, most people get past those feelings and move on while others (depending on the situation) linger on those feelings for years.

[edit] Treatment

Because "heartbreak" is a subjective emotional trauma and not a medical condition, conventional treatment does not exist. Depending on the psychological nature of an individual and the severity of the trauma, the length of time for the symptoms to disappear naturally will greatly vary. In most cases effects will last for a period of months. However, there are cases in which sufferers are able to move on within a few days, or alternatively never recover. It is claimed that the only cure for a broken heart is time, or acceptance.

[edit] Biological extent

[edit] In animals

Some scientists believe, when studying cases concerning animal sentience, that animals are conscious and have emotions such as joy/laughter. However, animals do not seem to suffer physical, emotional or psychological effects, such as a broken heart, from losses of any category. However people continue to question these issues. There are of course, exceptions. There have been reports, in nature based magazines, of a fully grown chimpanzee who stopped eating and died a few days later after the death of his mother. Also, elephants are known for mourning the death of a herd member.

Its been viewed in dogs who howl and grieve over the loss of a puppy who has died at birth.

[edit] See also

• Stress cardiomyopathy
• Heart
• Heart (symbol)
• Emptiness
• Love
• Loneliness
• Grief
• Inability to breathe
• Pain
• Interpersonal relationship
• Intimate relationship
• Depression

[edit] References

1. ^ Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, General McCarthy: When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals ISBN 0-385-31428-0
2. ^ Study Suggests You Can Die of a Broken Heart. Washington Post (February 10, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-09-23.
3. ^ “Broken Heart” Syndrome: Real, Potentially Deadly but Recovery Quick. Johns Hopkins Medicine (February 9, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-09-23.