Stress: What Is and How Can We Define It?

STRESS
Silvia Irina Briganti

Matteo Paolucci
What is stress and how can we define it?

Stress is a condition of alarm characterized by an excessive and persistent request of psychological and physical
energies that an individual has to invest to realize his objectives or to do his duties
In psychology, stress is considered as an adaptive reaction, connected to emotions and responsible of changes in
physiological regulation, conscience and everyday life behaviour, in front of situations of emergency or serious
danger
Eustress & Distress

*Eustress is a “positive” stress, temporary and necessary to preserve human life;
*Distress is “negative” stress, prolonged and harmful for both human body and mind
Physiology vs stress
Two endocrine response systems are reactive to psychological stress:
the hypotalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA) and the
sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) system
Hypotalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis
Cortisol, the primary effective hormone of HPA, regulates a
great range of physiological processes, like inflammatory
responses, metabolism of macromolecules (proteins, lipids...)
and gluconeogenesis
Sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system
Catecholamines, released after SAM activation, work with autonomic nervous system to control
cardiovascular and immune systems, liver, lungs and skeletal muscles
Prolonged activation of HPA and SAM produced by stress

can have serious effects on health: clinical depression,
human immunodeficiency (HIV), cancer, hypertension,
infectious and coronary arterie deseases etc
Immune system is vulnerable more than the others: it can

be struck directly, through the innervation of lymphatic
tissue, wich carries immune cells, or indirectly, through the
release of HPA and SAM hormones, wich alter immune
cell functions
Stressors
Common factors of stress
•Physical stressors
Illness, disabilities…
•Enviromental stressors
Poverty, natural disasters, noise…
•Life situations
Events, responsabilities, social and financial problems, relationships…
•Behaviors
Habits, lifestyle, certain patterns of thinking…
Levels of stressors
High level of stressors lead to distress; distress reveals itself through some
particular emotional states and physical symptoms
Signs & symptoms

Symptoms are various and individuals; is possible to find out 3 levels of symptoms correlated with the
increasing of stress level
Anxiousness, nervousness, distraction, excessive worry, internal pressure
Distracted, self-assorbed, irritable
Excessive fatigue, depression, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chest

pain, heart racing, dizziness or flushing, tremolousness or restleness
Does Stress cause diseases?

Stressful events & diseases
Review “Psychological stress and diseases” 10/2007
•Clinical depression
•Cardiovascular disease (CVD)
•Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS
•Cancer
Depression CVD HIV/AIDS Cancer
Role of stress ++ ++ ++ ?
• Upper respiratory tract infections
• Asthma
• Herpes viral infections
• Autoimmune diseases
• Wound healing
Stress treatments
First step: identification of the source of stress
What type of stressors?
• Illness can lead to stress
• Emotional stress can lead to illness
 friends, family, spiritual advisers

 doctor (interview, lab tests, ECG)
 Is there need of a medical treatment?
Self-Care at home
*Remove yourself from the source of your stress
•Physically
•Mentally  time-out
•Relax
•Formulate a plane for dealing with the problem
Medical treatment
*Stress affects you as an individual: everyone reacts in different ways
*The treatment of your stress will vary greatly depending on the types of symptoms you are experiencing and
how severe they are
•In case of psycho-somatic disease, is reccomened a counseling by qualified mental health professionals
•In case of physical disease, medical intervention can consist in a pharmacological treatment
•Direct to the general perception (benzodiazepine, ephedrine)
•Direct to the specific symptom
Prevention
stress management
•Set realistic goals and limit yourself
•Put things into perspective and try not to get upset about insignificant or relatively unimportant matters
•Find activities that you enjoy and set aside time to participate them on a regular basis
•Participate in regular physical exercise
•Mantain a positive outlook
•Set goals and break them into easily achievable tasks
•Manage your time
•Reward yourself for the good things that you do each day
Thanks & Relax!

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STRESS

Silvia Irina Briganti

What is stress and how can we define it?

Eustress & Distress

Prolonged activation of HPA and SAM produced by stress

Immune system is vulnerable more than the others: it can

Signs & symptoms

Anxiousness, nervousness, distraction, excessive worry, internal pressure

Distracted, self-assorbed, irritable

Excessive fatigue, depression, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chest

Does Stress cause diseases?

Depression CVD HIV/AIDS Cancer

 friends, family, spiritual advisers

 Is there need of a medical treatment?

Thanks & Relax!

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