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PSYCHOSOMATIC DISORDERS DUE TO STRESS BREAKDOWN

We all know that too much psychological stress can make us physically ill. We refer to these stress-related illnesses as psychosomatic disorders. This name conveys the notion that the psyche, or mind, can affect the functions of the body or soma. We could, as well, describe a number of somato-psychic disorders -where known body damage or illness affects the functions of the mind.

Stress-related illness in the three stages of stress breakdown

Firstly, let us look at how psychosomatic illnesses can occur in the first stage of stress breakdown. You will remember that the alarm reaction which is activated when the nervous system becomes overloaded is the anxiety reaction. You will remember as well, that the anxiety reaction has two components to it.

1. A warning component - a feeling of unease or dread.
2. A preparing component - preparing the body, through the release of adrenaline and noradrenalin, for physical action that may be necessary to meet a threat.

These two components of anxiety can cause symptoms and illness in several different ways.

Illness as a result of chronic feelings of unease

When we stay in stressful situations, we may have to put up with chronic feelings of unease or dread as the nervous system, from time to time, gives us the message that it is unable to cope with the stress. The feelings of unease in themselves don't harm our health - after all, they are just normal body warning signals. However, because we find it hard to tolerate these feelings, we tend to try to relieve them by doing things we know will reduce feelings of anxiety.

Overeating would probably be the most common activity which we use to reduce anxiety. Most of us seem to be aware that giving anxious or frightened people something to eat may often reduce their levels of fear or anxiety quite markedly. The use of this mechanism to reduce anxiety has been thoroughly incorporated into the behavioural patterns of our culture. For example, it is common practice to invite someone to dinner to soften the blow of the bad news we have to convey. Prudent people will wait until the victim is well fed before revealing the worst. Wise therapists or counselors will often offer their anxious clients a cup of tea or coffee.

We should include, therefore, in a list of illnesses caused by stress, those illnesses caused by over-eating to relieve anxiety. Obesity from chronic over-eating in situations of unavoidable stress is a major cause of concern in our society. I have often been impressed with how fat some of our trainee nurses become in their first two years of-living in at the hospital, away from home, often, for the first time in their lives, and subjected to high levels of stress in their work. Likewise, I notice that many students in boarding schools become overweight.

While the food served in these institutions such as nurses' quarters and boarding schools tends to be high in calories, it is my distinct impression that the obesity is due to over-eating, which is associated with separation anxiety. Separation anxiety is a term used to describe feelings of anxiety when we are separated from our loved ones and our support systems. Because human beings are communal in nature, our nervous systems can trigger an anxiety response when we are separated from our families.

However, the use and perhaps abuse of alcohol, with all the health risks associated with it, is probably the next most important cause of ill health as a result of steps we often take to relieve stress-related anxiety. Alcohol was our first sedative drug, and it is still the most abused sedative, being freely available without a doctor's prescription. Diseases caused by drinking alcohol include brain damage, stomach disorders, liver damage, alcoholic heart disease, pancreatitis and disease of the peripheral nerves.

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