Can You Be Scared to Death?
Myths and Facts About Dying
Corbis
We say we're "scared to death" or "scared stiff" -- but can that actually happen? An article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine describes various stories, some of dubious historicity, of people who dropped dead from strong emotions. The Roman emperor Nerva (A.D. 30-98) died in a fit of anger at a senator who had offended him. A 13th century pope, Innocent IV, is said to have died of grief after the overthrow of his army. Some American patriots reportedly died of happiness after learning that General Cornwallis's army had been defeated at Yorktown.
The study's author, G. L. Engel, also collected 170 contemporary accounts of sudden death attributed to disruptive life events including: death of someone close; threat of the death of someone close; grief; during mourning or on an anniversary; losing status or self-esteem; threat of injury; after the threat is over; and even death upon a reunion, or happy ending.
An article titled "The Brain-Heart Connection" outlines some of the plausible mechanisms explaining why strong emotions can cause death: Essentially, the nervous system can be stimulated -- as a result of a life-threatening stressor -- in such a way as to cause a heart attack and death. Plenty of experimental evidence in animals has shown this happens.
Another study examined 3,015 people aged 70 to 79 to see whether those who were more anxious were more likely to die. They found a racial difference: Anxiety was a predictor of death in black people, but not in whites.
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Myths and Facts About Death
Can You Be Scared Stiff?
Catatonia -- a paralysis that has no apparent physical cause -- is a well-known psychiatric disorder that can be provoked by fear. A 2004 study suggests that the reaction originally served to protect us from the threat of being eaten by another animal. But now other kinds of fear, anxiety or feelings of imminent doom, real or imagined, can lead to catatonia.
Excerpted from "THE MEDICINE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES: An Unconventional Compendium of Health Facts and Oddities, From Asthmatic Mice to Plants That Can Kill" by Nicholas Bakalar. Copyright © 2009 by Nicholas Bakalar. Reprinted by arrangement with Times Books, an imprint of Henry Holt and Company LLC.
Can You Die of a Broken Heart?
Acute stress can cause heart failure, and a failed romance may be stressful enough to do it. So that's dying of a broken heart, kind of. But sometimes people under stress already have heart disease, so whether the stress caused the fatal heart failure is unclear. Yet there is a syndrome called acute stress cardiomyopathy, which looks a lot like a heart attack but isn't one, and is caused by stressful events. Its victims are usually people without evidence of cardiac disease who come into the hospital after acute emotional or physical trauma. The most common emotional triggers are grief (the death of a loved one, for example) or fear (being robbed at gunpoint or being involved in a car accident).
The Leading Cause of Death
15 to 24 Year Olds
You're more likely to die in an accident than from any other causes of death combined. And the most likely culprit is a car crash -- twice as common as any other kind of accident. The second most likely way to die is getting murdered. Other accidents are third; suicide is fourth; fifth place goes to cancer.
The Leading Cause of Death
25 to 45 Year Olds
You die in car accidents at about two-thirds the rate of younger people. But accidents of some kind are still your biggest risk. Cancer comes in second, heart disease third, suicide is still fourth, homicide is fifth, and then HIV.
The Leading Cause of Death
45 to 64 Year Olds
Cancer's your number-one killer, followed by heart disease, with accidents a distant third.
The Leading Cause of Death
65 and Beyond
Heart disease ranks number one, followed by cancer, cerebrovascular disease, then chronic lung disease, Alzheimer's comes in fifth, with pneumonia and diabetes pulling in sixth and seventh. Accidents are eighth. The car accident death rate goes up a little for this group, but nowhere near the level for those under 25.
Plants That Can Kill You
Some of the most harmless-sounding plants contain some of the worst poisons. Castor beans, the basis of castor oil, contain so much ricin that one bean can kill an adult. The stones of cherries, plums and peaches are good sources of cyanide. The U.S. Department of Agriculture calls sunflowers "slightly toxic," but you'd have to eat a lot of seeds to do damage. Rhubarb pie, made with the stems, is tasty, but the leaves have various toxins in them. You'd have to eat about t10 pounds to die from them, however.
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OhDaVi3 12:11:14 AM Aug 24 2009
lucky im alive. now i can strangle you with my bare hands.
FFXICosmos 10:54:13 PM Aug 10 2009
csilva407 I'd suggest you speak to your doctor or a therapist about these feelings. You may be having a bout of depression related to your stroke. This is a PHYSICAL response, not a weakness in your mental strength. In the meantime, do your very best to eat a balanced diet, take up a hobby you enjoy, exercise as you can, learn something new, like meditation, which has helped me a great deal, and learn the art of active gratitude for the gifts each day brings you. I've lost my career as a nurse due to (hopefully not permanent) disability and the premature deaths of my father, brother and mother in the past few years, and thought I was surely going to die of "broken heart syndrome" which DOES exist. I am just now coming back to "myself"through the things I mentioned above. I wish you the very best. Take good care in your continued recovery and remember death is just another step along the path of our spiritual existence. : )
FFXICosmos 10:45:11 PM Aug 10 2009
I CANNOT believe you totally missed Multiple Sclerosis as the cause of of peripheral neuropathy, instead blaming the victim, as well as making people LESS likely to seek help, by blaming ALCOHOLISM. Puh-leeeeeeeez! How irresponsible can you get??? See, this is is PERFECT example people should NEVER, as in NEVER EVER EVER EVER E-V-E-R rely on sources like AOL or other non-medical sources on the internet for medical information. What you end up with is garbage like this. While not perfect, you're better off searching at WebMD or a professional medical web site if you have some medical knowledge or a family member who does. Yes, it's sad that doctors no longer have time to treat patients and we basically are forced to diagnose ourselves these days, but DO NOT TRUST AOL AS YOUR MAIN SOURCE FOR MEDICAL INFORMATION!
Jamesbond986745 12:06:38 PM Aug 06 2009
Bullridecowgirl, you are suckish, just like thebeatles1997 said. Feel free to travel to europe, africa, or wherever you choose. Times aren't THAT scary for cryin out loud. I myself would probably die from a "broken heart" because of suckish people like Bullridecowgirl who make me sad and remind me that we have a tainted gene pool full of idiots and ******** alike. Maybe I'll just die from not having the one person I want. =(
csilva407 09:45:12 AM Aug 06 2009
does a person know when there are going to die i have this strong feelin that i am not going to last to long i had a stroke a year ago and i am not getting any better
incomeforlife7 03:18:33 PM Aug 03 2009
OUT OF WORK?SO WAS I, NOW I'M MAKING AN AVERAGE OF $100 A DAY AND SO CAN YOU !!http://vimag.ws
Eee71851 09:50:56 AM Aug 03 2009
Having a broken heart can kill. When my husband left, I became dysfunctional. It was no longer possible for me too get throug my day without crying at every opportunity. Thoughts of suicide plagued me. (I would never do that) I fiund a psychologist and support group to help me, but I still have some very bad moments. Dating? - Forget it - stupidly, all I do is compare him to them. Has anyone heard the expression "Pining Away?" It was used in the 1800 - it meant thatsomeone is so upset - they lose their ability to go on. Thus - They end up in a pine box. Life is so hard for so many people.
BLKROSE310 05:03:05 PM Aug 02 2009
Being scared to death ... well if that was true, I would've been dead cause I easily scare, but then who knows .. things happen
calumm96 12:51:38 PM Aug 02 2009
BOOOOOOOO! Gotcha.......Look, you're all white from shock...and dead....heheComments by Casper the friendly ghost
