Getting To Know Cardiophobia, Anxiety Disorders That Cause Fear Of Heart Attack

Illustration of causes and symptoms of specific anxiety disorders, Cardiophobia (Freepik/drobotdean)

YOGYAKARTA Cardiophobia is an anxiety disorder that is widely unknown. This disorder causes a person to fear that problems with his heart will occur. More specifically, Cardiophibia is the fear of a heart attack in which the heart is a vital organ.

Fear of anything can become a snowball that is getting bigger and interferes with everyday life. When fear is so disturbing, it is known as a phobia or phobia. Such intense fear is irrational that it involves symptoms of anxiety and avoidance.

Many factors can cause a person to experience cardiophopia. Maybe having watched someone have a heart attack or received a medical diagnosis with the opportunity to have a heart attack. Like other phobia, there is no clear trigger for this condition.

According to research reported by PsychCentral, Monday, March 13, a person with cardiophobia is too focused on his heart during the stress period that causes psychosomatic symptoms such as chest pain and heart rate. With these conditions, a person can also make repeated visits to internal medicine specialists. Even though the lab results or checkups stated that his health condition was fine, someone with cardiophobia continued to fear bad things will happen to his heart.

Unlike other phobias, cardiophobia is not widely studied. That is, how common the symptoms are experienced there is no definite calculation. However, according to a 2008 analysis, Cardiophobia was experienced by hundreds of thousands of people in the United States. It should be noted that Cidiophobia is not the same as hypocondria, or a term for calling anxiety disorders.

Diagnostics of mental diseases, such as anxiety disorders and cardiophobia, need to be clinically examined. But according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR), Cidiophobia is classified as a anxiety disorder. Symptoms experienced by a person with cadiophobia, among them as follows:

Specific Phobia, generally causes panic attacks, sudden episodes of anxiety with intense physical symptoms. Including a dry body, shaking, shortness of breath, fast heart rate, pain or chest shortness of breath, numbness or tingling, dizziness, and feeling weak.

Due to heart attacks and symptoms of cardiophobia overlapping with each other, medical examinations are needed. That way a definite diagnosis will be obtained and the patient gets the right treatment. For people with cardiophobia, there is no special treatment but some treatment options for phobia can be done such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This therapy focuses on identifying a mindset that is not helpful and damaging so that it can be replaced with a more positive mindset.