Stigma 4: The Anxiety of Being Considered "Mostly Dead"

There is a stigma involved with heart disease that includes a preoccupation with death. While other illnesses have a higher death rate, especially considering modern medicine, there is a particular shadow that follows someone with heart disease as if it not only defines and predicts an early demise.

While cardiovascular disease can certainly lead to an early demise, the stigma and prejudice that creates anxiety and depression for the diagnosed individual do little to assist with this problem. In fact, it can even enhance the issue.

According to the article "Anxiety and Heart Disease" by Dr. Una D. McCann, the connection between heart disease and depression is widely studied. Considering this, the connection between anxiety and heart disease has been less of a focus of academic research, but even so, there is cause to consider a direct correlation between them.

In the doctor's opinion, "it is my view and my personal clinical experience that anxiety disorders can play a major role in heart disease' says McCann. 'I believe that a really careful look at anxiety would reveal the ways it can severely impact heart disease, both as a contributing factor and as an obstacle in recovery'" (McCann, 2023). Furthermore, she says that events such as a heart attack can have symptoms similar to PTSD.

I, personally, would agree. In my experience, my anxiety surrounding heart disease can be crippling. Not only is there the element of the painful past of having survived heart complications, surgeries, and procedures, but there is also the knowledge that I will require more invasive, undoubtedly painful procedures in the future to sustain and maintain my existence. This is a reality most normal people do not have to face.

On top of that, there is the stigma and judgment for having a cardiovascular disease, which has a presumed cultural justification to view people with heart disease as being "mostly dead" rather than "mostly living." It is taxing on the soul and only serves to increase the level of anxiety, potentially crystalizing it into a true terror of the future. This fear can develop into a skewed, bleak perception of reality, which can be a slippery slope into depression.

On the one hand, the expectation in the workforce is cardiac normalcy and, therefore, consistent health. This is a hallmark of being worthy of investment, which ultimately awards financial stability and dependable healthcare. Unfortunately, cardiovascular disease and its symptoms, which depend on advancement, degree, type, and maintenance, signal to many people and employers that you are considered abnormal. This means that the individual could be seen as a "poor investment" in terms of employment, promotion, or mentorship, as it can be (often inaccurately) presumed that they may be unable to perform the task that they were expected to do consistently.

The fear, and sometimes the reality of this, leads to heightened anxiety in individuals with cardiovascular disease. This idea of being a "poor investment" highlights the idea and the stigma that directly associates heart disease with impending death rather than the struggle for life.

Not only is cardiovascular disease itself anxiety-inducing, but life with it coupled with prejudice compounds the issue as someone who is struggling to live while being considered a poor investment and mostly dead, can be terrifying.

In my experience, having a short arm due to an early heart surgery and mechanical heart valves, I cannot even pretend to be 'normal' in that environment as my heart constantly makes a ticking noise. These, therefore, cannot be escaped in my mind or the eyes of others and are constant sources of anxiety. However, despite these issues, I have found a way to power through.

When in doubt, remember that while the stigma prescribes you as "mostly dead," you are mostly alive, and your heart struggles to keep it that way. It is on your team. Be kind to yourself and understand that anxiety is part of cardiovascular disease at some point or another. But, it is the treatment of people with heart disease and, most importantly, your response to their opinion that controls the impact that anxiety has upon you.

Reference List:

McCann, U. (2023). Anxiety and Heart Disease. [online] www.hopkinsmedicine.org. Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/anxiety-and-heart-disease.