Symptom 12: Feeling of Impending Doom: The Psychological Alarm Bell
A heart attack isn’t just a medical event but also a profound psychological experience. An unexpected, yet common symptom that people report is a sense of impending doom. Not to be confused with general anxiety or worry, this is an intense, overpowering sensation that something terrible is about to happen.
Our bodies have an intricate system in place to alert us when danger is imminent. This “fight or flight” response doesn’t just apply to external threats; it also kicks into gear when the body is experiencing internal distress. A sense of impending doom could be the psyche’s way of signaling that something is gravely wrong, making it a potential heart attack symptom.
This feeling isn’t just a vague sense of unease. It’s an intense foreboding, a deeply unsettling feeling that can be hard to shake off. It’s as if your instincts are screaming at you, even if you don’t understand why. For many, it’s a sensation that is hard to put into words but impossible to ignore.
Importantly, this feeling of impending doom often appears in conjunction with other symptoms. It could show up alongside chest pain, breathlessness, or a sudden onset of weakness. However, some people might experience this feeling as their primary symptom, especially if they have “silent” heart attacks, where typical symptoms like chest pain are absent. (12)
