As a two-time heart attack survivor at age 36, my own heart should be aglow with the all the wonderful work being done on my behalf, as well as that of the other 70 million-plus Americans living with some form of cardiovascular disease and the more than half a million likely to come down with it in the coming year.
But, actually, I'm a little disheartened. Why? Because as beneficial as it is, the vast majority of work being done, help being given and voices being heard is in support of the literal, physical pumping heart; there is scarce mention, either in the media or shockingly from the various heart health organizations, of the challenges for the metaphorical heart that is commonly thought of as the seat of our emotions in the wake of a coronary event.
Here's some breaking news: Heart disease isn't only deadly, it's also disheartening. According to the Cleveland Clinic, 15 to 20 percent of cardiac patients suffer depression after a heart attack or a diagnosis of heart disease. Likewise, Reuters reports that the risk for suicide tripled in the month following a heart attack and remained elevated for at least five years. Then there is also an untold number who "go it alone" in fearful, sad silence, not wanting the stigma of depression or the appearance of weakness. And this is only the beginning.
We don't have to be clinically depressed to be emotionally distressed. For many of us, in fact for most of us, a diagnosis of heart disease, like any other disease or life challenge, plainly and simply leaves us dispirited: the shock of it stops us dead in our tracks and leaves us searching for a direction forward. Moreover, it shakes up our certainty about life and our place in it. Heart disease doesn't merely challenge our mortality, but also our meaning, motivation and momentum, and this can be equally as challenging.
To be sure, heart disease cuts to the heart of life, and it affects all areas of life: our relationships, a job or career, plans for retirement, other related emotional health issues like stress and anxiety. And for us younger ones, it also affects the possibility of having children or for that matter the possibility of having a long and healthy life.
According to the American Heart Association, more and more evidence suggests a relationship between the risk of cardiovascular health and psycho-social and spiritual factors, yet they and other heart health organizations are virtually mute on this subject, let alone actively providing information, counsel and advocacy akin to their efforts on behalf of the physical effects of heart disease. To this point, I work with and talk to people all the time who have more than enough tips on eating less fat and getting routine medical exams, but have no meaningful guidance for navigating the emotional terrain that inevitably arises from a difficult diagnosis or challenging health experience. As a result, they don't often get the support they need, and so quickly fall into a state of further dispiritedness or even despair with damaging results.
The mysteries of the human heart are many, even in today's technologically advanced society. Although heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of men and women, we have certainly come a long way; and with the great efforts of the various advocacy campaigns, we will continue to make great strides going forward. But what about heart "dis-ease"? What about the emotional effects of heart distress? People in denial about their condition don't and won't work to make the necessary changes they need to be healthy. People consumed by fear about "it" happening again frequently become shells of their former selves and often won't talk to family members about family history.
So much of heart health today focuses on our physical health, and for good reason. Eating well, making healthy changes to our diet and exercise, getting routine medical exams, knowing the facts, etc., can make the difference between life and death. But we are not serving total health and total wellness if we limit our understanding of and efforts for the heart health campaign purely to our physical survival. We must remember that here are many ways to survive — to live — and not all of them serve us well.
Perhaps, however, there is reason to take heart; in the recently published book, "The Sublime Engine: A Biography of the Human Heart," brothers Stephen Amidon, a novelist, and Thomas Amidon,,MD, a cardiologist, pointedly and poignantly celebrate and elucidate the importance of both the physical and metaphorical heart. And even in my own work, in response to the current heart health environment, I've recently created a companion program and advocacy campaign for individuals, as well as hospitals and wellness centers, called Resilient U, focusing specifically on the emotional effects of any kind of heart distress.
It's time we use our individual and collective energy, passion and power not only to help eradicate heart disease, but also to inspire and empower those whose lives has been made "dis-easesd" by their condition. Indeed, we must "make a change" to serve our heart's physical health; but we too must make a change to ensure the well-being of our metaphorical heart, what keeps us both going and growing.
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Michele DeMarco Wilkie is a pastoral and relationship counselor, interfaith minister, social commentator and author. She lives in Newburyport.
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