FAQ

For most survivors, yes, though “better” rarely means the fear disappears entirely. The more honest and useful word is subdued. The fear can be subdued to the point where it no longer controls your decisions, no longer dominates your days, and no longer prevents you from living the life you want to live.

What tends to help most is time, peer support, and appropriate psychological care if needed. Understanding that the anxiety is a normal response to an abnormal event, rather than evidence that something is still wrong, is itself a significant step for many survivors.

The fear may never fully leave. Many long-term survivors describe an ongoing awareness of their mortality that was not there before. But awareness is not the same as fear, and fear is not the same as it winning. Most survivors, given the right support, find that they adjust, and that life on the other side of a cardiac arrest can be rich, purposeful, and genuinely good.

Category: Recovery

SCA UK exists precisely for this. We are a peer-led survivorship community of over 4,000 cardiac arrest survivors and their families, with regional groups across the UK and an active online community where survivors share experiences, ask questions, and support one another.

Peer support after cardiac arrest has a strong evidence base. Talking to someone who has genuinely been through the same experience, who understands the fear, the hypervigilance, and the strange work of rebuilding trust in your body, is different from any other kind of support. It does not replace clinical care, but it complements it in ways that clinical care cannot.

Join SCA UK for free to connect with other survivors. You can also find your nearest regional group to meet survivors in person.

Category: Fear and Anxiety

No. The majority of cardiac arrest survivors do not receive an ICD (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator). Whether an ICD is appropriate depends on the underlying cause of the cardiac arrest, the condition of the heart, and a range of clinical factors assessed by a specialist cardiologist.

For some survivors, particularly those whose cardiac arrest was caused by a shockable heart rhythm with an identifiable and treatable underlying cause, other treatments may be sufficient. For others, particularly those at ongoing risk of a life-threatening arrhythmia, an ICD may be recommended.

The decision about whether to implant an ICD is made by your clinical team in consultation with you. If you have questions about your treatment, your cardiologist or cardiac nurse specialist is the right person to ask. You can also read more in our guide to implantable devices.

Category: Implantable Devices

Cardiac anxiety is a specific pattern of health anxiety that develops after a cardiac event such as a heart attack or cardiac arrest. Survivors become hypervigilant about their heart, monitoring every beat, twinge, or sensation for signs that something is wrong. Normal physical sensations, such as a slightly raised pulse after climbing stairs, can trigger significant fear.

Cardiac anxiety is closely related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research suggests that between 20 and 30 per cent of cardiac arrest survivors experience clinically significant levels of anxiety or PTSD in the months and years that follow. Many more experience subclinical levels that still significantly affect their quality of life.

If you think you may be experiencing cardiac anxiety, speaking to your GP is a good starting point. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has a good evidence base for this type of anxiety. The British Heart Foundation also offers information on psychological support after a cardiac event.

Category: Cardiac Arrest

There is no fixed timeline. Every survivor’s experience is different, and the duration of fear and anxiety after a cardiac arrest depends on a wide range of factors including the circumstances of the arrest, the level of support received, and whether any underlying psychological needs are addressed.

For some survivors, the acute anxiety settles within the first few months as they adjust to life after the event and build confidence in their body again. For others, particularly those who do not receive appropriate psychological support, anxiety can persist for years.

Seeking support early makes a meaningful difference. Talking to your GP about a referral to cardiac rehabilitation, or connecting with other survivors through SCA UK, can both help to reduce the duration and intensity of anxiety after cardiac arrest.

Category: Psychological Support

Yes. Fear after a cardiac arrest is one of the most common experiences survivors report, and it is entirely understandable. Your heart stopped without warning, without any of the signals we associate with serious illness. The body you had trusted without thinking turned out to be capable of failing you completely and without notice.

The anxiety that follows is not a sign of weakness or of something going wrong in your recovery. It is a normal psychological response to an abnormal and genuinely life-threatening event. Clinicians recognise this as post-traumatic stress, cardiac anxiety, or hypervigilance, and it is well documented in the research on cardiac arrest survivorship.

If you are experiencing fear, anxiety, or distrust of your own body after a cardiac arrest, you are not alone. SCA UK’s community of over 4,000 survivors includes many people who have been through exactly this, and peer support can make a significant difference.

Category: Fear and Anxiety