Is there really such a thing as a broken heart, and could you die from it?

Poverty. Hunger. Crime. War. Disease. Evil.

There are various means of suffering in this world, but is a “broken heart” really one of them? Is there really such a thing as a broken heart, and could you die from it?

Yes there is, and yes you could.

Matt Woodley, managing editor for PreachingToday.com, drew from reports by Tara Parker-Hope in The New York Times and Johns Hopkins Medicine press releases to provide insight about “broken heart syndrome”:

In many fictional tales, characters die after suffering a devastating loss. The Bible often refers to the anguish of the “broken-hearted.” But has anyone really died or suffered physical harm from a “broken heart”?

Surprisingly, medical researchers at Johns Hopkins University have now identified a medical condition called stress cardiomyopathy, also called “broken heart syndrome.” This new research shows that tragic or shocking life events —including loss of a loved one, a car accident, armed robbery, a fierce argument — can cause a sudden surge in adrenaline that weakens heart muscles. According to the lead author of the John Hopkins study, “It looked like a heart attack in the sense that the EKGs were abnormal, the blood work was abnormal, but when you went to the [lab], the arteries had no blockages.” The patients had very few or none of the typical risk factors for heart disease. But the emotional pain they experienced had literally stunned their heart, making it feel like they were having classic heart attack symptoms, including chest pain, fluid in the lungs, and shortness of breath.

In some cases, broken heart syndrome can be as dangerous as a real heart attack, although after treatment, most patients quickly recover. But in all cases, broken heart syndrome hurts just as much as a real heart attack. Research has also shown that the same regions of the brain that signal physical pain are also activated when we feel emotional pain, such as grief or rejection.

So when the Bible talks about the anguish of the broken-hearted, it’s describing real hurt and real pain. As one of the doctors said about patients with this condition, “We’ll definitely be paying more attention now than before to patients who are grieving.”

In addition to having real physical impact, a “broken heart” affects a person in every way — spiritually, mentally, and emotionally in addition to the physical pain. In short, a broken heart brings great suffering to a person.

Suffering God cares about:

“He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds,” Psalm 147:3.

Verses 1 and 2 provide a context for this verse: “Praise the Lord! How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting! The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing the exiles back to Israel.” One Bible scholar notes verse 3 is “Referring primarily to the fact that he had healed those who were crushed and broken in their long captivity, and that he had given them comfort by returning them to their native land. At the same time, however, the language is made general, as describing a characteristic of God that he does this; that it is his character to do this.”

Brokenheartedness is very real suffering, a suffering most of us will experience at some time in our lives. But it is part of God’s character to be the healer of the brokenharted; He cares for them, and “bandages their wounds.” If you’re suffering from a broken heart, know that God loves and cares for you, and wants you to come to Him for healing.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed,” Psalm 34:18.

Scotty