The word stress comes from the Latin word estringere (to squeeze). From this term derived the English word stress, used in the physics of materials and which explains the resistance that a structure develops when it is subjected to a force or load that could produce a distortion.
In the field of biology, stress is understood as the physiological reaction of a body when it develops different defense mechanisms to face a situation that is perceived as threatening. And by extension, valid for Medicine and Psychology where stress is the way in which the organism reacts to a challenge. It is important to distinguish between:
- Stressful event: challenge, threat or overload.
- The way of reacting (the real stress) that is executed by the central nervous system, the sympathetic peripheral nervous system and the neuroendocrine system that will give rise to physiological responses. Stress is a natural and necessary response for survival, despite which it is mistaken for a pathology.
Causes of stress
The causes of stress, or rather its triggers, are the stressors that generate the change in homeostasis. They are classified according to different variables:
- Stimuli external to the individual
- Environmental stimuli
- Perceptions of threat
- Difficulty in social relationships
- Internal stimuli
- Alteration of physiological functions
- Subject’s own somatic, thoughts, cognitions and beliefs
- Frustration and blocking of interests
- People continuously evaluate their environment, so some external stimuli may be magnified or minimized by their thinking strategies.
Not all people react in the same way when subjected to stressful situations. Some specialists describe various differential models of response.
- Stress predisposition model: some individuals are more vulnerable due to an inherited predisposition through a fragility in some organic or biochemical system.
- Resilient personality model: some individuals have a greater capacity for resilience that protects them from stressor-related illnesses.
- Identity disorder model: certain life events can change a person’s sense of identity, which can have a negative impact on their health.
Stress: symptoms
There are many symptoms associated with stress, some of which are transient and others can develop into true psychosomatic or psychic illnesses, including anxiety and even depression.
The organism releases hormonal substances when it is subjected to a stressful circumstance or situation of greater demand. This causes the brain to be on alert, the muscles may tense and the heart rate may increase. In a short-term situation, these reactions are favorable, but if the stress is sustained, the body remains alert and over time puts its health at risk.
When a person suffers from chronic stress, the body remains on alert even when there is no danger. The health problems it can cause are:
- Increased blood pressure
- Endocrine disruption: changes in appetite, obesity or risk of diabetes.
- Menstrual problems
- Digestive problems
- Dermatological problems such as acne or eczema
- Symptoms of pain, fatigue and joint problems
- Lack of energy, attention and concentration
Any combination of these factors can lead many people to suffer from psychic pathology:
- Stress disorders: acute or post-traumatic stress disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Depressive disorder
- Possible secondary addictions, since sometimes people with these difficulties turn to substances such as tobacco, alcohol and others to alleviate part of their symptoms.
How does stress influence the patient’s life?
Stress does not affect all people in the same way. In general and in the psychic field, it predominates the appearance of anxiety symptoms, sometimes in the form of crisis and more frequently as generalized anxiety symptoms that wear down the level of energy and adequacy, making life slightly, gradually and steadily more difficult.
If stress is prolonged, depressive symptoms may appear, with greater or lesser sadness, but especially irritability and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
Stress: treatment
First of all, when treating stress it is vital not to play down its importance, neither the affected patient nor the doctors who may visit him or her for any symptoms.
The main thing is to treat the patient from a holistic perspective that includes mental health specialists. It is not enough for a general practitioner to prescribe a treatment and refer the patient to a psychologist; the patient neither understands nor benefits from any of these approaches.
In this sense, it is important to have an interdisciplinary approach where the role of expert psychiatrists and psychologists is fundamental. The psychiatrist is not a “pill dispenser” but a specialist with medical and psychological training. Its practice should be based on attentive listening, reflective thinking accordingly, and deep knowledge directed to the concrete problem of the concrete and unique person.