STRESSPrepared by:

Maria Angela L. Diopol

STRESS

COMMON CAUSES OF STRESS

Bereavement

Family problems

Financial matters

Illness

Job issues

Lack of time

Moving home

Relationships

(including divorce)

STRESSOR

A stimulus that causes stress

LIFESTYLE STRESSORS

Stressor Yes No

Getting stuck in traffic    

Exhaust fumes/air pollution    

Interruptions at work    

The weather    

Noise at work or at home    

Waiting in queues    

Overcrowding    

Poor relationships    

Time pressure    

Financial difficulties    

MIND STRESSORSStressor Yes No

I always have to be pleasant no matter how I feel

   

I have to be the best at whatever I do

   

I must do everything perfectly    

I cannot do much about my life    

I often feel I am not good enough    

I will never be a success    

Everyone is better than me    

I am the only who can solve my problems.

   

BODY STRESSORS

Stressor Yes No

You are unfit    

You have had a recent accident    

You have an unbalanced diet    

You sleep badly    

You sleep badly    

You smoke    

You take drugs    

You neglect your body    

WORK STRESSORS

Stressor Yes No

You are overworked    

You feel undervalued    

There is too much office politics at your place of work

   

The demands of work are affecting your private life

   

You are unhappy with what you are paid

   

You have to manage people.,    

You frequently take work home    

You occasionally get into conflict with colleagues.

   

THE BIOLOGY OF STRESS

COMBAT FATIGUE

SHELL SHOCK

IMAGE FROM THE GREAT WAR

TAKEN IN AN AUSTRALIAN ADVANCED DRESSING

STATION NEAR YPRES IN 1917. THE WOUNDED SOLDIER IN THE LOWER LEFT OF

THE PHOTO HAS A DAZED,

THOUSAND-YARD STARE - A

FREQUENT SYMPTOM OF

"SHELL-SHOCK".

SHELL SHOCK VICTIM

PTSD VIDEO

DEFINITION

ASD and PTSD are characterized by severe anxiety

symptoms and follow a threatening event that

caused feelings of fear, helplessness, or horror.

ACUTE STRESS DISORDER

Anxiety lasts < 1 month (but > 2 days)

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Anxiety lasts > 1 month

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Psychological disorder

characterized by episodes of

anxiety, sleeplessness, and

nightmares resulting from some

disturbing past event.

PTSD

ACUTE

less than three months

CHRONIC

three months or more

RISK FACTORS/ETIOLOGY

Traumatic events

Premorbid factors as substance

abuse, personality disorders,

childhood trauma, external locus of

control, etc.

TRAUMATIC EVENTS

War

Natural disasters

Car or plane crashes

Terrorist attacks

Sudden death of a loved

one

Rape

Kidnapping

Assault

Sexual or physical abuse

Childhood neglect

Or any shattering event

that leaves you stuck and

feeling helpless and

hopeless

The amygdala (Latin, corpus amygdaloideum)

is an almond-shape set of neurons located deep in

the brain's medial temporal lobe.

Shown to play a key role in the processing of

emotions, the amygdala forms part of the limbic

system.

Conditions such as anxiety, autism, depression,

post-traumatic stress disorder, and phobias are

suspected of being linked to abnormal functioning of

the amygdala, owing to damage, developmental

problems, or neurotransmitter imbalance.

SYMPTOMS

Intrusive recollections

Avoidant/Numbing

Hyper-arousal

PRESENTING SYMPTOMS

OnsetMay occur at any age, more likely

among the young or elderly.About 50% of cases resolve within 3

months.Course

Symptoms usually begin immediately after trauma, but can occur months or years later.

PTSD TREATMENT

CounsellingGroup Psychotherapy with other survivorsPharmacotherapy

SSRIsAntidepressantsBenzodiazepines

TRIVIAWorking with trauma victims can lead to a counselor developing PTSD

symptoms.

Although many people tend to associate PTSD with war-related

violence, it is actually this event which most often leads to a PTSD

diagnosis.

Jake was involved in a bad car accident three weeks ago in which his

best friend died at the scene. Ever since the accident, Jake has not been

able to sleep, thinks about the accident all the time and refuses to ride

in a car. Jake is most likely suffering from:

A person with drug and alcohol issues is more likely to have PTSD than

the general population.

Jane was sexually assaulted two months ago

and is still experiencing PTSD symptoms. Which

PTSD diagnosis is she likely to have?

Hearing about a traumatic event cannot

create PTSD symptoms; a person must

experience the traumatic event first-hand in

order to develop symptoms.

The most commonly co-occuring disorder

along with PTSD is…

PTSD is untreatable.

HOW STRESSED ARE YOU?

OVER 150

This is fairly representative of your

situation over a period of years, or even just

months, then your stress problem is quite

severe. You are fast approaching ‘burnout’.

If you do not do something to improve your

damaging lifestyle immediately, you could

be on the way to a nervous breakdown or

paving the way for illness.

BETWEEN 110 AND 149

Your stress levels are too high. You may be

going through a crisis or major change in

life. If so, do not worry too much as your

body is designed for handling short-term

stress and your score may simply represent

such a period in your life. Try to focus on the

issues that are causing you problems and try

to deal with them one at a time.

BETWEEN 90 AND 109

Your stress levels are moderate. You are not in the

danger zone yet but could be if you do not take care. If

you scored five in any area, you could be experiencing

stress carried over from past events. Unresolved

issues and unfinished business, which may have

happened years before, can cause just as much stress

as present issues. If this sounds familiar, try to identify

and address the problems. If you are unhappy about

tackling them down on your own, then you may benefit

from seeing a counselor.

BELOW 90

You show few signs of stress. This

low score could mean that you have

struck the right balance as you seem

to be coping well with whatever

stressors you encounter.