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

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: Psychological Support

It is very common, and it is important to say so clearly.

Research consistently shows that many cardiac arrest survivors live with lasting effects — whether physical, cognitive or psychological — even when their clinical results look reassuring. Feeling that something has changed, that you tire more easily, worry more, or simply cannot quite get back to who you were before, is a recognised part of survivorship. It does not mean something has been missed medically. It means recovery is complex.

Some of the effects of cardiac arrest are visible — a scar, a device, a medication. Others are invisible. Cognitive changes such as slower processing, difficulties with memory or concentration, and fatigue that does not match how you look from the outside are all commonly reported. So is a persistent sense of anxiety, hypervigilance about your own body, or a changed relationship with the future.

These experiences are not a sign of weakness or failure to recover. They are normal responses to an event in which your heart stopped.

If you are not feeling back to normal, it is worth raising this with your GP or cardiac team rather than waiting to see if it resolves. You deserve support that reflects the full complexity of what you have been through, not just a reassuring scan result.

Category: Cardiac Arrest

Good follow-up care after cardiac arrest should be tailored to the individual, rather than relying on a standard set of tests that produce a single summary score.

For older survivors, good follow-up would include a careful assessment of physical functioning — the ability to move around, carry out self-care, manage daily activities and live independently. Identifying these difficulties early means support and adaptations can be put in place before problems become entrenched.

For younger survivors, good follow-up would include deliberate, compassionate attention to psychological wellbeing — anxiety screening, assessment for PTSD and depression, and support for returning to work and social life. These are not optional extras; they are core outcomes that matter as much as cardiac function.

For all survivors, good follow-up should treat quality of life as having several distinct dimensions — physical, psychological, cognitive and social — not as a single measure. It should continue beyond the first few months, since some effects of cardiac arrest emerge or persist over a longer period.

The RCUK Survivor Quality Standard, published in 2024, sets out a framework for exactly this kind of follow-up. If you are not receiving structured review that addresses your whole experience, it is worth asking your GP or cardiac team what is available to you.

Category: Cardiac Arrest

Yes, based on current research and international guidelines, they should.

Mental health screening — including assessment for anxiety and depression — is recommended as part of post-cardiac arrest follow-up care by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the European Resuscitation Council. Psychological distress is common after cardiac arrest, affecting an estimated 15 to 30% of survivors, and can be just as disabling as physical limitations.

In practice, many follow-up appointments focus primarily or exclusively on cardiac function — the echocardiogram, the device check, the heart rhythm. While these are important, they tell your clinical team very little about how you are managing your anxiety, your sleep, your ability to return to work, or your fear of a recurrence.

If your appointments have not included a conversation about your mental health or psychological wellbeing, it is worth raising this yourself. You might say: “I’ve been struggling with anxiety since the arrest” or “I don’t feel like myself — is there support available?” Your GP, cardiologist or cardiac rehabilitation team can make referrals to psychological support services.

You do not have to wait until things reach crisis point. Raising concerns early leads to better outcomes.

Category: Cardiac Arrest

The figure is higher than many people expect, particularly given that younger survivors tend to have fewer physical problems and are often considered to be doing well. But surviving a cardiac arrest at a young age can be deeply distressing in ways that a physical assessment alone does not capture.

There is the shock of the event itself. The visceral knowledge that your heart stopped. The disruption to work, family life and a future that had seemed secure. The ongoing uncertainty about whether it could happen again. For those in their twenties, thirties or forties — perhaps with young children, a demanding job, and decades of plans — the psychological toll can be severe and long-lasting.

Research has consistently found that anxiety, depression and PTSD are common after cardiac arrest, and that younger survivors are disproportionately affected psychologically. A major Danish study found anxiety levels of nearly 30% in survivors under 35, compared to around 13.5% in those over 75.

Anxiety is a natural response to a traumatic event. The difficulty is that it can go undetected if follow-up appointments are focused almost entirely on physical recovery. If you are experiencing persistent worry, fear or panic since your cardiac arrest, it is worth raising this directly with your GP or cardiac team. You do not have to wait to be asked.

Category: Cardiac Arrest

After a cardiac arrest, both the body and mind go through a significant recovery process. The difference age makes comes down to what each group is most vulnerable to at that stage of life.

For older survivors, a cardiac arrest can accelerate or worsen physical decline that was already beginning. Mobility, self-care and the ability to carry out daily activities can all become noticeably harder. These changes may seem gradual, and it is not always easy to connect them clearly to the arrest, particularly when overall clinical scores look reassuring.

For younger survivors, the psychological impact tends to dominate. Being young and otherwise healthy, then experiencing a sudden, life-threatening event, can trigger intense anxiety and a lasting fear that it will happen again. There is also the disruption to work, family life and long-term plans that older survivors may be less reliant on in the same way.

A major Danish study of 2,552 survivors found that older survivors (particularly those over 75) reported significantly higher rates of physical difficulty, while those under 35 showed anxiety levels of nearly 30%. These are genuinely different experiences of the same event, shaped by age and life stage — and they call for different types of support.

Category: Cardiac Arrest

Profound and often underestimated. Research consistently shows that parents of children who have experienced cardiac arrest are at high risk of PTSD, anxiety, and depression — often at rates comparable to those seen in the survivors themselves. This is true whether the child makes a full recovery or not, and whether the parent was present during the arrest or not.

Common experiences include intrusive memories or flashbacks of the event, hypervigilance about the child’s health and behaviour, difficulty sleeping, fear of the child being out of sight, guilt about whether something could have been done differently, and a persistent sense of dread that it will happen again. These are not signs of weakness — they are normal responses to an abnormal and terrifying event.

The impact on the family as a whole can be significant. Partners may cope differently and at different rates, which can create tension. Siblings may feel overlooked, frightened, or guilty. Family life can become organised around the cardiac condition in ways that, over time, are not sustainable or healthy for anyone.

Please do not wait until you are at crisis point before seeking help. Talk to your GP about a referral to NHS Talking Therapies or a clinical psychologist. Trauma-focused CBT and EMDR are both effective for PTSD. Peer support — speaking with other parents who have been through the same experience — can also be enormously helpful. SCA UK can help connect you with others in the community.

Category: Children

There is no single right approach, and it will depend on your child’s age, their temperament, and how much they already understand about what happened. What matters most is that the conversation is honest, age-appropriate, and leaves space for your child to ask questions — including ones you may not be able to answer.

Younger children often respond better to simple, concrete language. Explaining that their heart had a problem, that doctors fixed it, and that there is now something inside them to help keep it safe is usually enough to start with. Avoid medical jargon but do not be vague — children often sense when something is being withheld, and uncertainty can be more frightening than a clear explanation.

Older children and teenagers may have more complex reactions — anger, anxiety, grief about activities they fear losing, or concern about how they will be seen by friends. They may also research the condition online and encounter frightening information without context. Staying close to that process, and involving the cardiac team in conversations where helpful, can make a significant difference.

Siblings are often overlooked. They may have witnessed the event, may be frightened, and may feel that the family’s attention has shifted entirely to the affected child. A clinical psychologist experienced in paediatric cardiac conditions can help the whole family, not just the child who was ill. Ask your cardiac team for a referral.

Category: Children

Following a cardiac arrest, your child will be admitted to hospital — usually to a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) — for monitoring, investigation, and stabilisation. The immediate priority is establishing why the arrest happened. This will typically involve an ECG, echocardiogram, blood tests, and possibly an MRI or genetic testing depending on the suspected cause.

If no reversible cause is found, your child’s team will discuss longer-term treatment options. In many cases this will include an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). The decision is made jointly between the cardiac team, your child (where age-appropriate), and you as parents or guardians.

Before discharge, you should expect a clear plan covering follow-up appointments, any medication prescribed, activity restrictions, what to do in an emergency, and who to contact with questions. If you do not receive this, ask for it explicitly — you are entitled to it.

The experience is profoundly distressing for parents and family members. Psychological support is available and you should not have to manage this alone. Ask your cardiac team for a referral to a clinical psychologist, and contact SCA UK to connect with other parents who have been through the same experience.

Category: Children

Very. Feeling grateful and frustrated at the same time is not a contradiction. It is one of the most commonly reported experiences among people living with an ICD, and it deserves to be acknowledged rather than dismissed.

Many people distinguish between wishing they had not got the device and wishing they had never needed it. Those are two very different things. Others find the psychological adjustment takes time, particularly if the device was implanted following a sudden and traumatic cardiac event, or if it was fitted as a precaution without a clear triggering incident.

If you are struggling emotionally with your device or your diagnosis, speaking to your cardiac nurse specialist or GP is a good first step. Peer support can also be valuable. The SCA UK community connects people at every stage of life with a cardiac condition, and hearing from others who have been through the same adjustment can make a significant difference.

Category: Implantable Devices

Cardiac rehabilitation (cardiac rehab) is a structured programme combining exercise, education, and psychological support to help people recover after a cardiac event such as a heart attack, cardiac arrest, or heart surgery. It is delivered by a multidisciplinary team and is typically offered as a course of weekly sessions over 6–8 weeks.

If you have survived a cardiac arrest, cardiac rehabilitation is recommended and you should be offered a referral by your cardiac team or GP. Evidence shows that it reduces mortality, improves cardiovascular fitness, reduces anxiety and depression, and helps people return to work and normal activities with greater confidence.

Cardiac rehab programmes typically include supervised, gradually increasing physical exercise tailored to your individual fitness and heart condition; education sessions covering topics such as medications, diet, managing risk factors, and understanding your condition; and psychological support addressing anxiety, mood, and adjustment to life after a cardiac event.

If you have not been referred to cardiac rehabilitation, ask your GP or cardiologist. Some programmes are also available online or as hybrid models. The British Heart Foundation’s Cardiac Rehab service finder can help you locate programmes near you.

Category: Cardiac Arrest

Several routes to psychological support are available after cardiac arrest.

Your GP is the first point of contact. They can assess your mental health, prescribe medication if appropriate, and refer you to talking therapy. In England, NHS Talking Therapies (formerly IAPT) provides free CBT, counselling, and other therapies, usually without a long wait. You can also self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies online without going through your GP first.

Your cardiac team may also be able to refer you to a clinical psychologist or cardiac rehabilitation programme. Cardiac rehabilitation often includes a psychological component alongside exercise and education, and is recommended for cardiac arrest survivors.

For more specialist support — for example, if you have complex PTSD, severe depression, or significant cognitive impairment — your GP can refer you to community mental health services or a neuropsychologist.

Peer support — connecting with other survivors and co-survivors who understand the experience from the inside — is highly valued by many people after cardiac arrest. Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK can connect you with peer support resources and a community of people who have been through similar experiences.

For co-survivors, the same routes apply. You do not need to have been the patient to deserve psychological support.

Category: Cardiac Arrest

Yes. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is common after cardiac arrest — both in survivors and in co-survivors who witnessed the event or performed CPR.

Survivors may develop PTSD even without remembering the arrest itself. PTSD can develop in relation to the ICU experience, the fear of further cardiac events, distressing memories of what happened in hospital, or the experience of receiving ICD shocks. Symptoms include flashbacks or intrusive thoughts, nightmares, hypervigilance, avoidance of reminders of the event, emotional numbing, irritability, and difficulty sleeping.

Co-survivors — partners, family members, and friends — are also at significant risk of PTSD following a cardiac arrest. The experience of witnessing a collapse, performing CPR, or facing the possibility of losing someone is profoundly traumatic.

PTSD is a recognised medical condition and is treatable. The most effective treatments include trauma-focused CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing). Both are available through NHS Talking Therapies — speak to your GP for a referral. You do not have to be formally diagnosed with PTSD to access these services; if you are experiencing significant distress, that is reason enough to seek support.

If you are in crisis or feel unable to cope, please contact your GP, call 111, or contact the Samaritans on 116 123.

Category: Cardiac Arrest

Memory difficulties are one of the most common and distressing effects of cardiac arrest, and they are a normal consequence of how cardiac arrest affects the brain.

During cardiac arrest, the brain is deprived of oxygen. The hippocampus — the brain structure most important for forming and retaining new memories — is particularly vulnerable to oxygen deprivation. Even a relatively brief period of hypoxia can result in lasting changes to memory function.

Common memory difficulties after cardiac arrest include trouble retaining new information, forgetting things shortly after being told them, losing track of conversations, difficulty remembering names, and problems with prospective memory (remembering to do things). Some survivors also have a gap in memory around the time of the arrest itself — they have no recollection of collapsing or of their time in ICU. This memory gap is normal and is not the same as ongoing memory impairment.

The good news is that memory often improves significantly over the first year of recovery, as the brain heals and adapts. Strategies such as writing things down, using calendars and reminders, reducing cognitive load, and being patient with yourself can all help in the meantime.

If memory difficulties are significantly affecting your daily life or your ability to work, ask your GP for a referral to a neuropsychologist or cognitive rehabilitation service.

Category: Cardiac Arrest

Fatigue is one of the most common and most underestimated effects of cardiac arrest. Many survivors find that they tire far more easily than before — sometimes feeling exhausted after activities that previously required no effort at all.

This fatigue has several causes. The brain and body undergo significant physiological stress during cardiac arrest and the subsequent period of intensive care. The brain in particular may have experienced a period of reduced oxygen (hypoxia), which requires significant energy to recover from. Heart function, medications, disturbed sleep, and the psychological impact of trauma can all contribute to fatigue.

Fatigue often improves over time, but it can be frustrating to live with, particularly in the early months of recovery. Some practical strategies that can help include pacing yourself — doing activities in shorter bursts with rest periods rather than pushing through — prioritising sleep, being honest with people around you about your energy levels, and gradually building activity levels with guidance from your cardiac rehabilitation team or physiotherapist.

If fatigue is significantly affecting your daily life, discuss it with your GP or cardiac team. An assessment of your heart function, anaemia, thyroid, and sleep quality may identify treatable contributing factors.

Category: Cardiac Arrest

Recovery from cardiac arrest is highly individual, but most survivors experience recovery as a gradual process that continues for 12 months or more — not a single moment of being "better."

Physical recovery from the cardiac arrest itself and any procedures (such as ICD implantation) typically takes weeks. Cognitive recovery — improvements in memory, concentration, and mental fatigue — often continues over the first year, with many survivors noticing meaningful improvement month by month. Psychological recovery, including processing the trauma of the event and adjusting to life with an ICD, can take longer and is not always linear.

Factors that affect the pace and extent of recovery include how long the brain was without oxygen during the arrest, how quickly CPR and defibrillation were given, the underlying cause of the arrest, age and general health, and access to rehabilitation and psychological support.

It is important not to compare your recovery to someone else’s. Many survivors make an excellent recovery and return to work, exercise, and a full life. Others are left with lasting cognitive or physical effects that require longer-term support and adjustment. Both experiences are valid.

If you feel that your recovery is not progressing or that you are struggling with the psychological impact, talk to your GP or cardiac team. Cardiac rehabilitation, neuropsychological support, and talking therapies can all play a role.

Category: Cardiac Arrest

Supporting a partner or family member through recovery from cardiac arrest can be as challenging as the event itself — and co-survivors often neglect their own needs while focusing entirely on the person recovering.

A few things that can help:

Learn about what to expect. Recovery from cardiac arrest takes time and often involves physical fatigue, cognitive difficulties such as memory and concentration problems, emotional changes, and psychological challenges such as anxiety and depression. Understanding that these are normal and that recovery often continues for 12 months or more can help reduce frustration and worry.

Attend clinic appointments together. This gives you the opportunity to ask questions directly and hear the same information as the survivor. Clinicians can also address your concerns.

Talk to someone about your own experience. Co-survivors need support too. Your GP can help, and you may be able to access talking therapy through NHS Talking Therapies. Peer support — connecting with others who have been in your position — is particularly valued by co-survivors.

Give the survivor space to recover at their own pace, but do not become their full-time carer at the expense of your own wellbeing. Boundaries are healthy and sustainable.

Contact Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK. We can connect you with resources, peer support, and others who have been through the same experience — including co-survivors.

Category: Psychological Support

Yes — even if you were not the one who performed CPR, witnessing a cardiac arrest is a profoundly shocking experience. Seeing someone you love collapse, not knowing whether they would survive, spending days or weeks at a hospital bedside, and then navigating their recovery at home can all leave lasting psychological effects.

What you experienced meets the criteria for a potentially traumatic event. It is entirely normal to have intrusive thoughts, disturbing dreams, difficulty concentrating, heightened anxiety, fear of it happening again, or periods of low mood — even weeks or months after the event. You may also find yourself feeling emotionally numb or detached, or swinging between feeling fine and feeling overwhelmed.

These are not signs of weakness. They are signs that something very frightening happened to you, and your mind and body are still processing it. Many co-survivors find that symptoms reduce naturally over time with the support of people around them. Others find that symptoms persist or worsen, in which case professional support is recommended.

Talk to your GP about what you are experiencing. You can also contact Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK to connect with others who understand what you have been through.

Category: Psychological Support

Yes, and this is particularly true when CPR is performed on a loved one — one of the most distressing experiences a person can face. You were trying to keep someone alive, possibly not knowing whether your efforts were working. That is deeply traumatic, regardless of the outcome.

People who have performed CPR commonly report intrusive thoughts and flashbacks replaying the moment of collapse or the resuscitation itself, guilt about whether they started quickly enough or did it correctly, hypervigilance about the survivor’s health, fear of being left alone with them, and difficulty sleeping.

It is important to know that guilt about CPR performance is extremely common and almost never warranted. Even trained paramedics do not perform CPR perfectly under stress. Imperfect CPR is far better than no CPR, and the fact that you acted almost certainly made a difference.

If you are struggling with distressing thoughts, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, or low mood, please talk to your GP. Effective treatments are available, including trauma-focused CBT and EMDR. You can also contact SCA UK for peer support from others who have been through similar experiences.

Category: Psychological Support

When the heart is restarted after a cardiac arrest, recovery is not immediate. Admission to the hospital is always required for further treatment and investigation to establish the cause. Provided good CPR has been performed while the heart has stopped and defibrillation has been carried out promptly, the outlook is promising with most patients making a good recovery.

Category: Treatment

Some survivors of cardiac arrest experience medical problems, including impaired consciousness and cognitive deficits. Functional recovery continues over the first six to 12 months after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in adults. It is common for survivors to have memory loss and to experience depression and anxiety for some time after their event.

Category: Cardiac Arrest

Yes. Peer support — connecting with others who have direct experience of living with an ICD or surviving a cardiac arrest — is one of the most valued forms of support for many people. Hearing how others have adjusted, managed their fears, and got on with their lives can be reassuring and practical in a way that clinical information alone cannot always provide.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK (SCAUK) offers peer support resources for both ICD patients and cardiac arrest survivors, including co-survivors. Visit suddencardiacarrestuk.org or get in touch directly to find out what is available.

Your cardiac team or GP may also be able to point you towards local support groups or cardiac rehabilitation programmes, which often have a peer support element. The British Heart Foundation’s network of Heart Support Groups provides in-person peer support in many areas of the UK.

Category: Implantable Devices

It is very common to feel anxious before getting a heart device. Concern about the procedure itself, about what having an ICD means for your life, and about the underlying condition that led to the recommendation are all understandable responses.

The most effective way to manage anxiety around the procedure is to get clear, reliable information — which is what this site is here to provide. Knowing what to expect before, during, and after implantation, and understanding how your ICD works and what it will and will not prevent you from doing, can significantly reduce fear of the unknown.

If your anxiety is significant or persistent, do speak to your GP or cardiac team. Psychological support is available, and you do not need to manage this alone. Peer support — talking to others who have been through the same procedure — is also highly valued by many people. Contact SCAUK to find out more.

Category: Implantable Devices