5 - Stress & Physical & Mental Health

Stress

External demands placed on an organism

Stress

Organism’s internal biological and psychological responses to such demands

Stress & DSM

Significant component of multiple DSM diagnostic categories

• Nature of stressor

• Experience of crisis

• Life changes

• Individual perception

• Individual stress tolerance

• Lack of external resources and socual supports

Factors creating Predisposition to Stress:

Nature of stressor

This refers to what kind of stress you’re facing — whether it’s physical, emotional, long-term, or sudden.

Example:

• A student constantly facing heavy workloads every week (chronic stressor) may feel more stressed than someone dealing with a one-time event like a surprise quiz (acute stressor).

Experience of crisis

a major disruption or difficult situation that overwhelms your usual coping abilities.

Example:

• Losing a loved one, a breakup, or being involved in a car accident can cause severe emotional distress that makes it harder to handle even small problems afterward.

Life changes

Major life transitions, whether positive or negative, can bring stress because they require adjustment.

Example:

• Moving to a new city, starting college, or even getting married are all life changes that can make someone feel anxious or uncertain.

Individual perception of stressor

How a person interprets or views a stressor affects their stress level. Two people can experience the same thing but feel differently.

Example:

• One student might see an exam as a fun challenge, while another might see it as a terrifying event that could ruin their future.

Individual stress tolerance

This means how much stress a person can handle before breaking down — some people naturally have higher or lower tolerance.

Example:

• A student who practices mindfulness and keeps a healthy routine may stay calm during finals week, while another student might feel completely overwhelmed by the same workload.

Lack of external resources and social supports

Not having support from family, friends, or resources (like money, counseling, or time) makes stress harder to manage.

Example:

• A working student struggling with tuition and deadlines may feel more stressed if they have no one to talk to or no financial help.

• Severity

• Chronicity

• Timing

• Degree of impact

• Level of expectation

• Controllability

Characteristics of Stressors: (6)

• Life changes

• Perception of benefits

Crisis > _______ > _______

• Sympathetic-adrenomedullary system (SAM)

• Hypothalamic-pituitary adrenocortical (HPA)

2 of body’s systems respond when stressor is perceived:

• Hypothalamus

• CRH

• Anterior Pituitary

• ACTH

• Adrenal Cortex

• Cortisol

The Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) Axis:

Allostasis

Is process of adaptation or achieving stability through change

Allostasis

Results in wear and tear on body

Psychoneuroimmunology

Study of interaction between nervous system and immune system

Immune System

Protects body from such things as viruses and bacteria

Immune System

Provides leukocytes

Leukocytes

front lines of defense

Immune System

Communicates with brain via cytokinesis

Depression

Associated with compromised immune function beyond stressors that precipitated depression

• Appetite (Weight Change)

• Sleep (Insomnia / Hypersomnia)

• Anhedonia

• Dysphoria

• Fatigue

• Agitation / Retardation

• Concentration Diminished

• Esteem (Low) / Guilt

• Suicide

Symptoms of Depression:

“A Sad Faces”

Depressed Mood

Feeling sad, empty, or hopeless most of the day, nearly every day.

• Optimism

• Negative affect

Many psychological factors can affect relationship between stress and health:

• Hypertension

• Coronary heart disease

• Risk and causal factors

Cardiovascular Disease

• Study in this area includes:

Hypertension

involves persisting systolic and diastolic blood pressure

• Chronic hypertension & disease

• Hypertension & ethnicity

• Hypertension & anger management

Hypertension: (3)

Normal

Systolic: below 120

Diastolic: below 80

Prehypertension

Systolic: 120-139

Diastolic: 80-89

Stage 1 Hypertension

Systolic: 140-159

Diastolic: 90-99

Stage 2 Hypertension

Systolic: 160+

Diastolic: 100+

Systolic Pressure

measured when the blood vessel wall contracts

Diastolic Pressure

is measured when the wall relaxes between beats

• Type A

• Type D

Risk & Causal Factors in Cardiovascular Disease

• Certain personality patterns are linked:

Type A

is characterized by excessive competitive drive, extreme commitment to work, impatience or time urgency, and hostility

Type A

Many of us know people who are like this, and the term _____ is commonly used in everyday language.

Type D

have a tendency to experience negative emotions and also to feel insecure and anxious.

• Biological interventions

• Psychological interventions

Treatment of Stress-Related Physical Disorders:

• Surgical procedures

• Lipid-lowering medications

• Aspirin or other anticoagulants

• Antidepressant medications

Biological Interventions: (4)

Surgical procedures

These are operations done by doctors to treat or repair parts of the body.

Lipid-lowering medications

These are drugs that help reduce cholesterol or fats in the blood, lowering the risk of heart disease.

Aspirin or other anticoagulants

These medicines prevent blood clots, improving circulation and reducing the risk of stroke or heart attack.

Antidepressant medications

These help balance chemicals in the brain that affect mood and emotions, treating conditions like depression or anxiety.

• Emotional disclosure

• Biofeedback

• Relaxation and meditation

• Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT)

Psychological interventions: (4)

Emotional disclosure

Expressing or talking about one’s feelings, especially about stressful or painful experiences.

Biofeedback

A technique that helps a person learn to control body functions (like heart rate or breathing) by using sensors that show how the body reacts to stress.

Example:

• Watching your heartbeat on a monitor and practicing ways to slow it down through relaxation.

Relaxation and meditation

Activities that calm the mind and body, helping to reduce stress, anxiety, and tension.

Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT)

A type of talk therapy that helps people identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors.

Example:

• Learning to replace thoughts like “I’ll fail” with “I can improve with practice.”

• Adjustment Disorder

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Some DSM disorders are triggered by exposure to stress: (2)

Adjustment Disorder

having a hard time coping with a big change or stressful event in life —

Adjustment Disorder

Maladaptive response to common stressor within 3 months of stressor

— The person reacts in an unhealthy or extreme way to a stressful situation, and this happens within three months after the event.

Adjustment Disorder

Symptoms disappear when stressor ends or person adapts

— The emotional or behavioral problems (like sadness, anxiety, or acting out) usually go away once the stressful situation is over or the person learns to cope better.

Adjustment Disorder

👉 Explanation:

• Tony lost his job and has been unemployed for 16 months. This life change is a stressor — something that causes emotional strain. He’s doing his best to find work, but when nothing happens, he feels hopeless, questions himself, and misses his old routine.

• These feelings and behaviors show a maladaptive response (difficulty coping) to a stressful situation (job loss). However, Tony is still trying to stay optimistic, showing he’s trying to adapt.