Stress can be defined as strain or emotional tension evoked by situations, events, and significant changes. It is the feeling of overwhelming or inability to cope with specific events and demands. Stress varies because it is based on an individual's perception of a situation or circumstance. Primarily, stress occurs in two forms; distress and eustress. The most common is distress and occurs when an individual views a situation negatively, leading to feelings of being overwhelmed and out of control.
On the other hand, eustress is a form of stress that occurs due to a positive view of situations or events and is also called good stress. Subsequently, based on severity, type, and timing, stress can lead to severe physical disorders, life-threatening effects, or even death. Although stress is unavoidable, it can be managed. This paper will review some of the causes of stress, symptoms, diagnosis, and the role of psychological factors in cardiovascular and mental illnesses.
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Causes of stress
High demands present in the ever-changing environment can cause stress in human beings. However, the contributing factors are highly individualistic since what one may consider stressful may not faze another person. Situations or events forcing an individual to adjust can be termed a stressor ( Cundiff et al., 2020). Regardless of whether the condition is good or bad, an individual's coping skills and adaptive measures are necessary to deal with stress.
Generally, the potential cause of stress includes unsettling consequences of a change, feeling of threat by an outside force, and losing personal control. On the other hand, significant life changes considered the most common stressors include a change in career, divorce, planned pregnancy, graduation from school, or cancer diagnosis.
Nonetheless, the daily demands and hassles of life regularly affect individuals causing stress. Issues with family members, dysfunctional relationships, disagreements with friends and partners may be typical daily stressors. Besides, work stressors like job dissatisfaction, inadequate pay, workplace conflicts, and exhausting workload can significantly increase an individual's stress level ( Frankham et al., 2020) .
Other causes of stress include social stressors such as financial pressures, unemployment, poverty, racial and sexual discrimination, and lack of social support may skyrocket the stress levels in individuals.
Symptoms of stress
Sometimes, recognizing stress symptoms may be difficult. Consequently, most individuals realized they are stressed while they reach the breaking point. Therefore, recognizing stress and specific signs of stress varies for different people. While some individuals may experience specific physical symptoms such as skin breakouts, low back pain, and stomach issues, others may experience emotional symptoms such as hypersensitivity or cry.
While short-term stress is associated with pressures, anxiousness, worry, distraction, and nervousness, stress lasting for a long time can cause depression and fatigue. Some of the common signs and symptoms used to identify stress include changing sleeping patterns, eating habits, heavy alcohol consumption, too much smoking, or even taking drugs to relieve the pressure ( Frankham et al., 2020) . Other symptoms may include menstrual irregularities, loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, which has a detrimental impact on individuals' health.
Diagnosis of stress and physical illness
Stress diagnosis is a complex process based on various factors. A multitude of approaches is employed to make a diagnosis of stress. These approaches may include biochemical measures, the use of questionnaires, and physiologic techniques. These diagnosis methods are further subjected to experimental error and thus must be viewed with cautions. Currently, a detailed, stress-oriented, face-to-face medical interview is probably the most practical method used to diagnose stress and its impacts ( Frankham et al., 2020) . Stress is associated with numerous detrimental changes in a person's physical health, such as gastrointestinal functions, cognitive systems, and immune systems. Other symptoms include depression, post-traumatic disorders, personality disorders, anxiety disorders.
Acute stress disorder may be characterized by dissociation, negative moods, avoidance, hyperarousal and intrusive memories experienced by an individual during the initial stages post traumatic events. However, early identification of these individuals who are at risk of developing acute stress disorder helps implement early interventions that are likely to prevent long-term dysfunction.
The role of psychological factors in some familiar illnesses
Psychological factors have been identified as a cause of most illnesses. These factors impair cognitive functioning and behaviors. Stress and mental illnesses are associated with psychological factors such as; traumatic experiences resulting from emotional abuse or sexual abuse, low self-esteem, loss of a parent or child, physical and emotional neglect, and poor ability to associate with others. These psychological factors impact an individual's health and health behaviors, stress levels, and lifestyles. As a result, these factors lead to long-term consequences such as severe dissociation and chronic low self-esteem.
In heart diseases, psychological factors such as stress, anger, lack of social support, poverty, anxiety, hostility have been identified as a cause. Depression is characterized by sadness, low appetite, and sleep disturbances that hinder treatment adherence of patients with heart ailments. Often, it leads to health deterioration, increased cardiovascular activity, readmission to hospital, and even heart disease-related deaths ( Kumari & Mukhopadhyay, 2020).
Common symptoms associated with heart ailments include lack of breath and chest pains. On the other hand, complete blockage of arteries can cause heart attacks. Heart failure occurs when the body organ becomes too weak to pump the blood around the body, making it hard for individuals to breathe.
A variety of imaging tests is done when making a diagnosis of heart diseases. The treatment of heart diseases is done using a combination of lifestyle changes, blood-thinning medicines, or even surgery in some situations.
These psychological factors also play a role in mental health illness. Factors that are relevant to mental health illness diagnosis include severe trauma, neglect, loss of loved ones, and low ability to relate with other people.
The diagnosis of mental illnesses can be made through a psychological evaluation of patients where health clinicians can check the symptoms and monitor their behavioral patterns. Besides, a physical exam and lab test can be done to screen an individual's thyroid functions. Treatments for mental illnesses include psychotherapy, which is considered the most effective, and patients using these treatments are given antidepressants and antianxiety medications ( Teo, 2020).
Conclusion
In summary, the effects of stress can be adverse depending on the intensity, timing, duration, and type. Generally, mild stress can affect cognitive functions such as verbal or virtual memory, while the stress of intense nature can lead to mental disorders, especially judgment and memory. For this reason, if left unmanaged for a long time, stress may have far-reaching consequences. On the other hand, practical steps that can help reduce stress include regular exercising to improve an individual s mood and thinking process, relaxation, and adequate sleep.
References
Cundiff, J. M., Boylan, J. M., & Muscatell, K. A. (2020). The Pathway From Social Status to Physical Health: Taking a Closer Look at Stress as a Mediator. Current Directions in Psychological Science , 29 (2), 147-153.
Frankham, C., Richardson, T., & Maguire, N. (2020). Psychological factors associated with financial hardship and mental health: a systematic review. Clinical Psychology Review , 77 , 101832.
Kumari, R., & Mukhopadhyay, A. (2020). Psychological Trauma and Resulting Physical Illness: A Review. SIS Journal of Projective Psychology & Mental Health , 27 (2), 98-104.
Teo, J. W. L. (2020). The relationships among loneliness, depression, anxiety, stress, and the change in medical adherence in coronary heart disease patients.
