20 million people currently suffer from heart failure. Half will die within five years of diagnosis. Their hearts are, in effect, permanently broken.

The beginning doesn't seem optimistic, but let us not be afraid to find out the truth about ourselves. Why do people suffer from heart attacks, arrhythmia, pains in chest? Is it only because of smoking, consuming alcohol, sudden shocks or something else?

Scientific researches have shown that chronic emotional states such as stress, anxiety, hostility and depression take far greater toll than sudden shocks. The risk from psychological and social factors is almost as great as that from obesity, ineradicable smoking and hypertension. Researchers are starting to learn why. And a growing number of clinics are putting that insight to work in programs that tackle heart disease at one of its most unlikely sources: in the mind.

Doctors are finding that psychosocial factors pose far greater risks than they previously realized. Depression at least doubles an otherwise healthy person's heart attack risk. Hostility is an increasingly important risk factor, too. It increases the chances of dying from heart disease by 29 percent, and by more than 50 percent in people of the age 60.

Even childhood trauma seems to have an impact on heart disease later in life. Heart attack risk is up to 59 percent higher in people who reported adverse childhood experiences such as physical, sexual or emotional abuse, domestic violence or having family members who abuse drugs or alcohol.

Why do this stressors have such a potent effect? On the most obvious level, emotional states affect behavior. Depressed or angry people are less likely to stick with diet and exercise regimes and are more likely to smoke. One study showed that the most hostile patients consumed 600 more daily calories than the least one. But behavior is only the beginning. [...]

Find full article: Ten Million Hearts Broken