What Becomes of the Broken-hearted: Broken-heart syndrome (aka takotsubo cardiomyopathy), my mother's suicide and other stories

A practical, sometimes humorous, sometimes devastating, guide to the little-known, poorly understood but increasingly prevalent health problem, broken-heart syndrome, also known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy. This is a condition in which the heart muscle becomes suddenly and severely weakened, often as a result of great emotional and/or physical stress, causing the heart's left ventricle (main pumping chamber) to become significantly enlarged, resembling a Japanese octopus trap (a tako-tsubo)...