Can Grief Cause Chest Pain?

Experts agree intense emotions such as grief have the ability to affect the human body in powerful ways. The connection we are referring to here happens because the same brain regions where physical pain registers also get activated by emotional pain. We know this due to the present research being done to understand further why and how many painkilling drugs are also shown to ease emotional pain. And the evidence continues to mount to back the ‘same finish line’ in our brains for both physical and emotional pain.

“Normal grief” usually happens in bursts or waves of sad feelings and thoughts, not continued, persistent agony of unbearable sadness. Most people who go through this type of grief are most likely still able to keep their sense of humor, still hold a healthy sense of self-esteem, and experience some ‘off’ times when they can be distracted from their negative emotions. They can be consoled.

1. Katherine Shear, MD, the director of Columbia University’s Center for Complicated Grief, defines complicated grief as “a form of persistent, pervasive grief” that happens when “some of the natural thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that occur during acute grief gain a foothold and interfere with the ability to accept the reality of the loss.” In these cases, where grief is ignored persistently, and efforts are made to deny or explain away reality, the risk of both mental and physical help increases.

These efforts to deny or avoid reality block the body and mind’s ability to integrate healing into the system, thereby making mental health occurrences like complicated grief and depression more likely and the physical symptoms that go along with them. Other possible results of avoiding the reality of loss are increased inflammation, fatigue, weakened immune systems, and the prolonging of other ailments.

In their writing on Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also knowns as broken heart syndrome, Boyd and Solh of the American College of cardiology describe the apical ballooning of the left ventricle as typically following a physical or emotional stressor; the treatment of which is inpatient care with cardiology services required. Chest pain and shortness of breath are physical features associated with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Takotsubo Syndrome - American College of Cardiology (acc.org)