Socijalna psihijatrija, Vol. 54 No. 2, 2026.
Sažetak sa skupa
https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2026.111
When the Heart Speaks of the Psyche
Borka Pezo Nikolić
; Klinika za bolesti srca i krvnih žila, Klinički bolnički centar Zagreb, Kišpatićeva 12, 10000 Zagreb, Hrvatska
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* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Psychocardiology is an interdisciplinary field that
studies the bidirectional connection between
mental and cardiovascular health. Chronic stress,
depression, anxiety, and loneliness not only affect
quality of life, but are also independent risk factors
for the development of arterial hypertension,
coronary artery disease, heart failure, and cardiac
arrhythmias. At the same time, a diagnosis of
cardiovascular disease, especially acute myocardial
infarction, can be a powerful psychological
stressor and increase the risk of developing all
mental disorders. This creates a vicious circle that
adversely affects quality of life and overall prognosis.
The connection between the heart and the
psyche operates through the autonomic nervous
system, as well as neuroendocrine and inflammatory
mechanisms. Emotional stress can lead to
changes in heart rate, blood pressure, endothelial
dysfunction, and increased inflammatory activity,
while heart diseases can significantly alter a
patient’s emotional functioning. The heart is an
organ whose activity can be directly perceived.
Precisely for this reason, changes in its rhythm or
the strength of its beats often provoke concern. Since the heart is a symbol of life, and an organ
whose cessation of function signifies the end of
life, it is not surprising that cardiac symptoms are
strongly linked to psychological responses. In everyday
clinical practice, psychiatric and cardiological
symptoms overlap. Palpitations, tachycardia,
dyspnea, and dizziness may be manifestations of
anxiety, but they may also be the first sign of a
previously unrecognized cardiac arrhythmia. In
practice, it is not uncommon for patients with
arrhythmias to be treated for years for presumed
psychogenic complaints before appropriate cardiological
evaluation leads to the correct diagnosis.
Conversely, the presence of an organic disease
does not exclude the development of psychological
difficulties that can intensify symptoms. Psychocardiology
advocates an integrated biopsychosocial
model of care in which different health professions
jointly participate in the treatment of the
patient. There is no completely healthy heart without
mental health, nor complete mental health
without a healthy heart. When the heart speaks
about the psyche, it does not do so metaphorically
– it speaks physiologically. Emotions can change
the functioning of the heart, and heart diseases
can change a person’s emotional state. That is precisely
why modern medicine must not treat only
the organ, but the human being as a whole.
Ključne riječi
heart; psyche; psychocardiology
Hrčak ID:
352228
URI
Datum izdavanja:
15.6.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *