Acute stress

Chronic activation of this survival mechanism impairs health A stressful situation — whether something environmental, such as a looming work deadline, or psychological, such as persistent worry about losing a job — can trigger a cascade of stress hormones that produce well-orchestrated physiological changes. A stressful incident can make the heart pound and breathing quicken. Muscles tense and beads of sweat appear. This combination of reactions to stress is also known as the "fight-or-flight" response because it evolved as a survival mechanism, enabling people and other mammals to react quickly to life-threatening situations. The carefully orchestrated yet near-instantaneous sequence of hormonal changes and physiological responses helps someone to fight the threat off or flee to safety. Unfortunately, the body can also overreact to stressors that are not life-threatening, such as traffic jams, work pressure, and family difficulties. Over the years, researchers have learned not only how and why these reactions occur, but have also gained insight into the long-term effects chronic stress has on physical and psychological health. Over time, repeated activation of the stress response takes a toll on the body. Research suggests that chronic stress contributes to high blood pressure, promotes the formation of artery-clogging deposits, and causes brain changes that may contribute to anxiety, depression, and Sounding the alarm The stress response begins in the brain (see illustra...

Stress is not always easy to recognize, but there are some ways to identify some signs that you might be experiencing too much pressure. Sometimes stress can come from an obvious source, but sometimes even small daily stresses from work, school, family, and friends can take a toll on your mind and body. • Psychological signs such as difficulty concentrating, worrying, anxiety, and trouble remembering • Emotional signs such as being angry, irritated, moody, or frustrated • Physical signs such as high blood pressure, changes in weight, frequent colds or infections, and changes in the menstrual cycle and libido • Behavioral signs such as poor self-care, not having time for the things you enjoy, or relying on drugs and alcohol to cope Stress vs. Anxiety Stress can sometimes be mistaken for anxiety, and experiencing a great deal of stress can contribute to feelings of anxiety. Experiencing anxiety can make it more difficult to cope with stress and may contribute to other health issues, including increased depression, susceptibility to illness, and digestive problems. Stress can trigger the body’s response to a perceived threat or danger, known as the During this reaction, certain hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released. This speeds the heart rate, slows digestion, shunts blood flow to major muscle groups, and changes various other autonomic nervous functions, giving the body a burst of energy and strength. Originally named for its ability to enable us to physically f...

Overview What is acute stress disorder? Acute stress disorder (ASD) is a short-term mental health condition that can occur within the first month after experiencing a traumatic event. It involves stress responses, including: • • Intense fear or helplessness. • Experiencing flashbacks or nightmares. • Feeling numb or detached from one’s body. • Avoiding situations, places or other reminders related to the traumatic event. Examples of traumatic events include: • Natural disasters, such as a tornado, fire or flood. • Sexual assault. • Physical assault. • Verbal abuse. • Witnessing bodily harm or death. • Serious accidents, such as a car accident. • Experiencing a severe injury or sudden illness. • War. Acute stress disorder can affect a person at any stage of life — childhood, adolescence and adulthood. What’s the difference between acute stress disorder and PTSD? The main difference between acute stress disorder and Acute stress disorder involves stress reactions that happen between three days and four weeks following a traumatic event. Stress reactions lasting longer than four weeks may meet the criteria for PTSD. The American Psychiatric Association first classified acute stress disorder as a mental health diagnosis in 1994 in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). What’s the difference between adjustment disorder and acute stress disorder? The difference between acute stress disorder and adjustment disorder is that the st...

We all feel stressed from time to time – it’s all part of the emotional ups and downs of life. Stress has many sources, it can come from our environment, from our bodies, or our own thoughts and how we view the world around us. It is very natural to feel stressed around moments of pressure such as exam time – but we are physiologically designed to deal with stress, and react to it. When we feel under pressure the nervous system instructs our bodies to Stress When we are stressed, Stress The Stress can lead to migraines. www.shutterstock.com There are cardiovascular effects. When stress is acute (in the moment), The Stress can have some There can be problems with our reproductive systems too. For men, chronic stress may affect ********** Stress has marked effects on our emotional well-being. It is normal to experience high and low moods in our daily lives, but when we are stressed we may feel more tired, have mood swings or feel more irritable than usual. Losing sleep affects your ability to learn. www.shutterstock.com

• Get Started • Self-Assessment • Stress Management • Articles & News • Podcast • Certified Products • Speakers Bureau • Mental Health Apps • Book Reviews • Links • Magazines • Contentment • Combat Stress • Health & Stress • Advertise • Membership • Become a Member • Member Directory • Learning Center • Videos • Courses • Events • Podcast • CES Research • eBooks • Music Therapy • Horizons • Archives • Shop • Assessments • Courses • Documentaries • Gift Packs • Webinars • Books & DVDs • Donate • • The fight-or-flight response, also known as the acute stress response, refers to a physiological reaction that occurs in the presence of something that is terrifying, either mentally or physically. The response is triggered by the release of hormones that prepare your body to either stay and deal with a threat or to run away to safety. 1 The fight-or-flight response was first described in the 1920s by American physiologist Walter Cannon. Cannon realized that a chain of rapidly occurring reactions inside the body helped to mobilize the body’s resources to deal with threatening circumstances. Today the fight-or-flight response is recognized as part of the first stage of Hans Selye’s general adaptation syndrome, a theory describing the stress response. 1 In response to acute stress, the body’s sympathetic nervous system is activated due to the sudden release of hormones. The sympathetic nervous systems stimulate the adrenal glands triggering the release of catecholamines, which inclu...

• • A consistent sense of feeling pressured and overwhelmed over a long period of time • • Symptoms include aches and pains, insomnia or weakness, less socialization, unfocused thinking • • Treatment includes lifestyle changes, medications, setting realistic goals • • Involves psychiatry, psychology Many people, over the course of their lives, have experienced acute stress, a dramatic physiological and psychological reaction to a specific event. Chronic stress, however, is a consistent sense of feeling pressured and overwhelmed over a long period of time. “We humans are very good at facing a challenge, solving a situation, or reaching out to someone to get support,” says Rajita Sinha, PhD, director of Yale Medicine’s Interdisciplinary Stress Center. “We’re wired to respond to stress and remove it, sometimes even automatically. But life has become more complex, and many situations don’t have easy answers.” Sinha founded the Yale Stress Center in 2007 to study stress from an interdisciplinary perspective and to improve the treatment of stress-related diseases. Causes of chronic stress could include poverty, a dysfunctional marriage or family, or a deeply dissatisfying job. In today's hectic society, there are many possible sources. Chronic stress slowly drains a person’s psychological resources and damages their brains and bodies. “People experiencing chronic stress might feel incapable of changing their situations,” Sinha says. There are cognitive, emotional, physical and b...

Acute stress disorder (ASD) typically occurs within one month of a traumatic event. Symptoms are similar to those seen in post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), however this disorder is temporary, lasing from a few days to a month. Some people with this disorder can go on to develop PTSD. What’s acute stress disorder? In the weeks after a traumatic event, you may develop an Anyone can develop ASD after a traumatic event. You may have an increased risk of developing ASD if you have: • experienced, witnessed, or been confronted with a traumatic event in the past • a history of ASD or PTSD • a history of certain types of • a history of dissociative symptoms during traumatic events The symptoms of ASD include: Dissociative symptoms You’ll have three or more of the following dissociative symptoms if you have ASD: • feeling • a reduced awareness of your surroundings • derealization, which occurs when your environment seems strange or unreal to you • depersonalization, which occurs when your thoughts or emotions don’t seem real or don’t seem like they belong to you • Reexperiencing the traumatic event You’ll persistently re-experience the traumatic event in one or more of the following ways if you have ASD: • having recurring images, thoughts, nightmares, illusions, or flashback episodes of the traumatic event • feeling like you’re reliving the traumatic event • feeling distressed when something reminds you of the traumatic event Avoidance You may avoid stimuli that cause you to ...

The human stress response has evolved to maintain homeostasis under conditions of real or perceived stress. This objective is achieved through autoregulatory neural and hormonal systems in close association with central and peripheral clocks. The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis is a key regulatory pathway in the maintenance of these homeostatic processes. The end product of this pathway — cortisol — is secreted in a pulsatile pattern, with changes in pulse amplitude creating a circadian pattern. During acute stress, cortisol levels rise and pulsatility is maintained. Although the initial rise in cortisol follows a large surge in adrenocorticotropic hormone levels, if long-term inflammatory stress occurs, adrenocorticotropic hormone levels return to near basal levels while cortisol levels remain raised as a result of increased adrenal sensitivity. In chronic stress, hypothalamic activation of the pituitary changes from corticotropin-releasing hormone-dominant to arginine vasopressin-dominant, and cortisol levels remain raised due at least in part to decreased cortisol metabolism. Acute elevations in cortisol levels are beneficial to promoting survival of the fittest as part of the fight-or-flight response. However, chronic exposure to stress results in reversal of the beneficial effects, with long-term cortisol exposure becoming maladaptive, which can lead to a broad range of problems including the metabolic syndrome, obesity, cancer, mental health disorders, cardiovasc...