Answers for heart patientsతెలుగులో చదవండి
Not the same person after a heart attack
Many people feel low, scared or not like themselves after a heart attack. About 4 in 10 have strong feelings like this. You are not alone, and you can get help.
Dr Muralidar’s view, from his patients. Not a study.
How common is it?
Large studies show that about 15 in 100 heart attack survivors become quite badly depressed in the first weeks. About 25 in 100 more have milder low mood or worry. That is about 4 in 10 in all.
What Dr Muralidar sees
- People say their body and mind do not feel the same.
- Some worry about every small pain in the chest.
- Some rush to hospital many times, and the tests find nothing.
- Visitors who say “poor you” can make it worse.
What helps
- Tell your doctor how you feel, not just about your body.
- Talk to other people who have had a heart attack.
- Get back to your normal day, step by step.
- Exercise in a group with a doctor’s team. Many people find the group itself a support.
If you feel low most days, please tell your doctor. Low mood is part of heart care, and it can be treated.
What happens at Cardiac Rehab
- A doctor checks you first.
- You get an exercise plan made for you.
- You exercise for 90 minutes, 3 times a week, while the doctor’s team watches.
- Step by step, the exercise gets harder as you get stronger.
Why it helps with this
A 2025 review of 36 trials looked at heart patients. Exercise done in person, with a team, was linked to less low mood and less worry. Their daily life was better too. Exercise at home, alone, did not show this.
Cardiac rehab is also a group. You meet people who have been through the same thing. You stop feeling like the only one.
Dr Muralidar sees many patients get their confidence back, at work and at home.
Heart guidelines in the US (AHA and ACC) and in Europe (ESC) give cardiac rehab their highest grade: Class I, Level A.
Cardiac Rehab, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad runs these sessions.
Frequently asked questions
Is it normal to be scared of dying after a heart attack?
Yes. About 4 in 10 people have strong fear or low mood after a heart attack. Being told you have a heart problem is scary. It brings worry about the future. Saying it out loud to your doctor is the first step.
Can a heart attack cause anxiety?
Yes, it often does. Worry can even cause real chest pain, which feels like heart pain. That makes the fear worse. Breathing exercises, talking therapy and sometimes medicine can help.
Does low mood harm the heart?
Heart experts say strong low mood after a heart attack has been linked with more heart problems later. So it is worth treating, just like blood pressure.
Will I ever feel like myself again?
Many people do. It takes time and small steps. Exercise in person, with a team, was linked to less low mood and less worry in a 2025 review of 36 trials.
This page is general advice. Your own doctor knows your heart. If your doctor has told you something different, follow your doctor.
Written by Dr. Muralidar Babi, MBBS, MD (CMC Vellore), Cardiac Rehab Physician.