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Qchan05 asked in Science & MathematicsBiology · 1 decade ago

Can you, literally, die of fright?

I think the above should explain it all, but can you die of fright? Can you become so distressed that it disrupts the heartbeat and/or brain function, or stops it altogether? You hear about this kind of thing all the time in books, movies, etc., but I've never heard of it happening in real life.

Thanks!

13 Answers

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  • anna
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    A person with heart disease or a weakened heart valve or cardiac aneurysm can die from a fright; the adrenalin rush puts the body into overdrive and their system can't handle it. You could also die of a massive brain stroke if there were an undiscovered aneurysm; a friend of mine nearly died of this during a nasty divorce. Fortunately he was not alone when he collapsed and they were able to get him to the hosp in time to rush him into surgery.

  • ?
    Lv 4
    5 years ago

    Can You Die Of Fright

  • 1 decade ago

    I think you can die indirectly from fright. You can have a heart attack or stroke from the distress of fright.

    I live in the Pittsburgh area. Last year during the football playoffs a man actually had a heart attack when Jerme Bettis fumbled and the Steelers nearly lost the playoff game against Indianapolis. They say that if an EMT had not been in the bar with him he may have died. If that would have happened I think that would have been an example of someone dying of fright.

  • 5 years ago

    You can become very frightened and have a heart attack, but you won't just die of fright.

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    You could die of heart failure, caused by fright.

    Remember how your body reacted when you were a kid and somebody hid around a corner and jumped out at you?

  • 1 decade ago

    Yes, Just a couple of months ago a guy a couple hours away from me was in the ocean and saw a hammerhead shark and died instantly. I think they said he had an instant heart attack.

  • 1 decade ago

    yes it is possible for a sudden drop in blood pressure and an increased heart rate to kill ( more like die from sudden anxiety ) but unlikely in a healthy person

  • 1 decade ago

    Try walking anywhere in the inner city. You will probably die of fright on the spot

  • 1 decade ago

    Yup. Completely possible.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    It is possible. You have a heart attack with shock, and die.

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