Stress

Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects

Lecturer: Nadia shamasnah
Stress
• By definition, stress is any uncomfortable "emotional experience
accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological and behavioral
changes.“
• Some stress can be beneficial at times, producing a boost that
provides the drive and energy to help people get through situations
like exams or work deadlines.
• However, an extreme amount of stress can have health consequences
and adversely affect the immune, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and
central nervous systems.
What is stress?
• Stress is a natural and manageable part of life.
• We react physically, mentally, emotionally to various conditions,
changes and demands of life.
• The stress we experience is rooted in the “fight or flight” response.
• Constant demands of academic or personal life can lead to stress
overload.
Classification of Stress
• Stress can result from positive or negative situations.
• Distress
E.g. Failing a test in a class.
• Eustress
E.g. Planning and preparing to go home for a holiday.
Classification of Stress
ACUTE STRESS DISORDER

• Acute Stress Disorder is characterized by the development of severe

anxiety, dissociative, and other symptoms that occurs within one
month after exposure to an extreme traumatic stressor (e.g.,
witnessing a death or serious accident).
• As a response to the traumatic event, the individual develops
dissociative symptoms.
• Individuals with Acute Stress Disorder have a decrease in emotional
responsiveness, often finding it difficult or impossible to experience
pleasure in previously enjoyable activities, and frequently feel guilty
about pursuing usual life tasks.
CHRONIC STRESS

• Chronic stress results from a state of ongoing physiological arousal.

• This occurs when the body experiences stressors with such frequency
or intensity that the autonomic nervous system does not have an
adequate chance to activate the relaxation response on a regular
basis.
• This means that the body remains in a constant state of physiological
arousal, which affects virtually every system in the body, either
directly or indirectly.
Common causes of chronic stress include:
• Poverty and financial worries
• Long-term unemployment
• Dysfunctional family relationships
• Caring for a chronically ill family member
• Feeling trapped in unhealthy relationships or career choices
• Living in an area besieged by war or violence
• Bullying or harassment
• Perfectionism
Traumatic stress
• Severe stress reactions can result from a catastrophic event or intense
experience such as a natural disaster, sexual assault, life-threatening
accident, or participation in combat.
• After the initial shock, many trauma victims gradually begin to
recover.
One of the most dangerous aspects of
chronic stress is that people who suffer
from it get used to it.
• But for some people, the psychological and physical symptoms
triggered by the trauma don't go away, the body doesn’t regain its
equilibrium, and life doesn’t return to normal.
• This is a condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Common symptoms include flashbacks or nightmares about the
trauma, avoidance of places and things associated with the trauma,
hyper vigilance for signs of danger, chronic irritability and tension, and
depression.
• PTSD is a serious disorder that requires professional intervention.
WHAT CAUSES STRESS ?
• Everyone has different stress triggers.
• Work stress tops the list, according to surveys. Forty percent of U.S.
workers admit to experiencing office stress, and one-quarter say work
is the biggest source of stress in their lives.
Causes of work stress include:
• Being unhappy in your job
• Having a heavy workload or too much responsibility
• Working long hours
• Having poor management, unclear expectations of your work, or no say in
the decision-making process
• Working under dangerous conditions
• Being insecure about your chance for advancement or risk of termination
• Having to give speeches in front of colleagues
• Facing discrimination or harassment at work, especially if your company
isn't supportive
Life stresses can also have a big impact
• The death of a loved one
• Divorce
• Loss of a job
• Increase in financial obligations
• Getting married
• Moving to a new home
• Chronic illness or injury
• Emotional problems (depression, anxiety, anger, grief, guilt, low self-esteem)
• Taking care of an elderly or sick family member
• Traumatic event, such as a natural disaster, theft, rape, or violence against you or a
loved one
Factors can lead to stress:
Fear and uncertainty.

• When you regularly hear about the threat of attacks, global warming,
and toxic chemicals on the news, it can cause you to be stressed,
especially because you feel like you have no control over those
events.
• Fears can also be at home, such as being worried that you won't finish
a project at work or won't have enough money to pay your bills this
month.
Attitudes and perceptions.

• How you view the world or a particular situation can determine

whether it causes stress.
• For example, if your television set is stolen and you take the attitude,
"It's OK, my insurance company will pay for a new one," you'll be far
less stressed than if you think, "My TV is gone and I'll never get it
back! What if the thieves come back to my house to steal again?"
Unrealistic expectations.

• No one is perfect. If you expect to do everything right all the time,

you're destined to feel stressed when things don't go as expected.
Change.

• Any major life change can be stressful -- even a happy event like a
wedding.
• More unpleasant events, such as a divorce, major financial setback, or
death in the family can be significant sources of stress.
The causes of stress are highly
individual.
• Personality,
• General outlook on life,
• Problem-solving abilities,
• Social support system.
Stressors can be divided into
three broad categories:
Frustrations

• Frustrations are obstacles that prevent you from meeting your needs
or achieving personal goals. They can be external—such as
discrimination, an unsatisfying job, divorce, or the death of a loved
one—or internal.
• Examples of internal frustrations include physical handicaps, and
other real or perceived personal limitations.
Conflicts

• Stressors involving two or more incompatible needs or goals are

known as conflicts.
• For example, a working mother might feel torn over a job offer that
would advance her career, but take time away from her family.
Sometimes the conflict involves a choice between two desirable
options, such as deciding between two acceptance offers from equally
appealing colleges. At other times, the decision involves disagreeable
alternatives.
Pressures

• Stress can stem from the expectations of others or the demands you
place on yourself. You may feel pressure to get good grades in order
to please your parents or get into a good school.
• Or you may feel pressure to excel at work, make a difference in your
community, or be the perfect mother.
• Whether or not the source of stress causes significant emotional and
physical symptoms, it depends on the nature of the stressor itself.
• Stressors that involve central aspects of your life
• that persist for extended periods of time are more likely to result in
severe distress and disruption of functioning.
• Furthermore, the more stressful situations or life changes you're
dealing with at one time, the more intense the symptoms of stress.
EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF STRESS
• Excessive fatigue
• Gastric disturbance
• Withdraw from social life
• Menstrual problems
• Speech difficulties
• More impatient
• Headaches
• Infertility
• Ulcers
• Nail biting
• Grinding teeth
• Low blood sugar
• High blood sugar
• Need more sleep
• Tired but can't sleep  
• Sudden weight loss
• Sudden weight gain
• Low blood pressure
• High blood pressure
• Lack of coordination
• Repeated influenza
• Repeated colds
• Muscle aches
• Hair loss
• Chest pain
Physical signs and symptoms of stress
• Increased heart rate • Twitching
• Pounding heart • Stuttering and other speech difficulties
• Elevated blood pressure
• Nausea
• Sweaty palms
• Tightness of the chest, neck, jaw, and back muscles • Vomiting
• Headache • Sleep disturbances
• Diarrhea • Fatigue
• Constipation • Shallow breathing
• Urinary hesitancy
• Dryness of the mouth or throat
• Trembling
• Susceptibility to minor illness
• Being easily startled
• Chronic pain and • Cold hands
• Dyspnea • Itching
Cognitive/Perceptual Signs and Symptoms of
Stress
• Forgetfulness
• Preoccupation
• Blocking
• Blurred vision
• Errors in judging distance
• Diminished or exaggerated fantasy life
• Reduced creativity
• Lack of concentration
• Diminished productivity
• Lack of attention to detail
• Orientation to the past
• Decreased psychomotor reactivity
and coordination
• Attention deficit
• Disorganization of thought
• Negative self-esteem
• Diminished sense of meaning in life
• Lack of control/need for too much
control
• Negative self-statements and
negative evaluation of experience
OUR BODY’S REACTION TO STRESS
(GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME)
• ALARM REACTION
• RESISTANCE OR ADAPTATION
• EXHAUSTION
ALARM REACTION
• MUSCLES TENSE
• HEART BEATS FASTER
• THE BREATHING AND PERSPIRATION INCREASES
• THE EYES DILATE
• THE STOMACH MAY CLENCH
RESISTANCE OR ADAPTATION
• FATIGUE
• CONCENTRATION LAPSES
• IRRITABILITY
• LETHARGY
EXHAUSTION
• DECREASED STRESS TOLERANCE
• PROGRESSIVE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION
• ILLNESS AND COLLAPSE
What are the long-term effects of stress?
• The problem with the stress response is that the more it is activated,
the harder it is to shut off.