Cardiophobia - Myth or Reality?||||In the human mind, the heart is an "engine" or a "pump" that can cause death if it suddenly stops working. In this regard, the most common of all nosophobias is cardiophobia - the fear of dying from heart disease. With the progression of a chronic disease, the entire system of relationships between patients changes. Only those events that do not prevent the meaning-making motive of preserving life from standing out become significant. As a result, isolation, alienation, impoverishment of contacts with people, passivity appear. Highlighting the motive of preserving life leads to the formation of restrictive behavior: inertia, reduced activity, including sexual activity. According to specialists - cardiologists, therapists, most cardiology patients can have a full sex life, but many of them do not do this due to constant fear of deterioration of their condition. Especially, such fears are characteristic of patients who do not have a permanent sexual partner or a partner who is much younger than them in age. For cardiology patients, two main psychological factors can be identified that prevent the restoration of a normal sexual life: Anxiety. It is usually associated with the fear of an attack during sexual intercourse, which this time can lead to a fatal outcome. Depression. After a heart attack, the patient usually experiences a steady decline in mood, the absence of any desires, and the feeling of enjoying life disappears. This condition prevents the restoration of normal emotional ties with partners, and can also lead to a decrease in libido and in some cases - impotence. The fear can be so strong that patients begin to avoid sex in general. Returning to sexual life, as well as resuming physical activity, is a component of normal life. For many couples, the first step in the process of restoring the psychological component of a normal sexual relationship is to discuss their fears and problems with each other. If this is not enough, you can always ask your doctor for written permission to resume sexual relations. Such permission will reduce the psychological burden, because you transfer a certain percentage of responsibility to a specialist. You can also seek help from a psychotherapist, who will help you deal with fears over a period of time and reduce psychological stress and irritation, as well as show you how to get out of the social and psychological isolation that arose in connection with the disease.