Chronic Stress Discussion This needs to be turned from MLA TO APA format ASAP 1 Our daily activities and demands may often result in challenging situations
Chronic Stress Discussion This needs to be turned from MLA TO APA format ASAP 1
Our daily activities and demands may often result in challenging situations that would
require extreme physical and psychological effort to maintain a balance. The short-lived feelings
of being stressed are a normal part of peoples daily lives; however, when they become chronic,
they tend to affect the persons health severely. Many factors can cause a stress response, and
they include psychological pressure like a job or school-related pressures, dangerous situations,
sports among others. The physical impact of stress may not last for long; nevertheless, some
individuals are constantly experiencing high levels of stress and increased alertness which is
chronic stress. Some of the main causes of chronic stress may include high demand jobs,
financial challenges, and challenging relationships. Individuals often respond to such physical as
well as mental demands that may be health demanding through the activation of interconnected
neuroendocrine circuits (Mariotti, 2015). Such responses would allow the body to face the said
challenges and deal with them and restore a homeostatic equilibrium.
Whenever the body feels that the noxious stimulus as being too intense or one that takes
much longer than it is used to, an individual may fail in how they cope with it and as such have a
maladaptation. This means the stress condition is unable to resolve the challenges and what
results are a state of imbalance, the neuroendocrine factors will be changed, and illness may start
(Mariotti, 2015). Stress, according to research and as demonstrated above has both a
psychological and physical component, and more often the former will depend on how a person
perceives it and can predict and control it (Koolhaas et al. 2011). It is that process of anticipation
of a given stressor which then leads to control is what defines the stress responses that would
follow. How fast and effectively the individual can anticipate a given stressor and be able to
control it and able to promote its adaptation, and how they would, in turn, switch the responses
off when they attain the equilibrium.
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It is the duration that the individual takes to respond to the stress which would reveal if
the destabilizing stimulus can be managed or if it cannot, and if it ends up being of harm
(Mariotti, 2015). It, therefore, means that it is not only the stimuli that produce a strong
neuroendocrine response that is considered the real stressors, but it is those that go above the
persons capabilities to adapt and change (Mariotti, 2015). Chronic stress main affects the entire
body and can have many physical and psychological symptoms that make would inhibit the
persons daily activities. The severity and type of symptoms that individuals exhibit would
depend on the individual; however, some of the primary symptoms include irritability,
headaches, fatigues, challenges in concentration, having disorganized thoughts, insomnia,
changes in appetite, feeling of being helpless, low self-esteem, nervousness, among others. The
connection between illness and chronic stress is one that is complicated and has led to numerous
studies. The susceptibility to stress will vary from one individual to another. One event that leads
to an illness in one individual may not result in illness in another person. The events must align
and interact with other factors in the background for an ailment to manifest. Genetics and genetic
vulnerability, personality style, support, and how the individual copes influence the susceptibility
of the individual to stress (Salleh, 2008).
The Effect of Chronic Stressors on Health
Chronic stress interferes with an individuals ability to lead a normal life for a long
period. Depending on how the duration that the stress last, the worse it is for the persons mental
state and physical wellbeing. Stress can trigger or aggravate many diseases and pathological
conditions. The individual ends up feeling fatigued and become irritable and unable to
concentrate for no apparent reason. It leads to the body to break, and the problems that are there
can be made worse. In extreme cases, chronic stress can lead to diseases which are primarily as a
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result of bodily changes such as overeating, smoking and use of alcohol as a way of drowning
the fears. Studies have shown that job strain which when combined with reduced decision
making abilities as a result of chronic stress is said to be linked to increased risk of coronary
diseases. Depression which is another form and product of chronic stress together with a lack of
social support have pointed to as factors that result in higher risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Furthermore, chronic stress can also make it harder for the individual to recover. A study linked
to the individuals that possess a Type D personality, a chronic and covert form of distress
separate from depression, was characterized by chronic distress and more often were faced by
higher risks of negative outcomes (Denollet et al. 2010).
Chronic stress can also affect the memory which is an important function of the central
nervous system. Short term memory relies on the functions of the parietal and frontal lobes with
the long term being dependent on the activities of the larger parts of the brain. The overall
function of the memory both short and long term; however, rely on the hippocampus that has the
high concentrations of glucocorticosteroid receptors and has one of the highest responses to
stress (Yaribeygi et al. 2017). Structure and function of the hippocampus are caused by stress.
For example, a plasma cortisol increase resulting in the reduction in the numbers of dendritic
branches reduced quantities of neurons and lowered neurogenesis within the hippocampus
tissues (Yaribeygi et al. 2017). High levels of stress hormones can result in declarative memory
disorders. Stress according to the studies can result in a reversible reduction in the spatial
memory which is caused by atrophy of the hippocampus. Another research has shown that high
levels of plasma concentration of glucocorticosteroids for prolonged durations can lead to
hippocampus atrophy which in turn leads to memory challenges and disorders (Yaribeygi et al.
2017).
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Chronic stress is also said to have a physical impact on the body. When individuals have
stressed the cells and organs that make up the nervous system are triggered to release white
blood cells fending off infection and with extra elements for disease fighting. Hormones are
released as a way of priming the immune system and help the body quickly respond to injuries
and any form of critical short term illnesses. Such a scenario is however not beneficial to the
health of the person if it is prolonged in cases of chronic stress. Prolonged stimulation of the
immune system will lead to overall suppression and make the immune system ineffective when
fighting diseases and other infections that could arise. The immune system releases cytokines
which act as a messenger. However, during the periods of chronic stress the production of
cytokines is inhibited. The ability of the body to effectively fight off infection is therefore
interfered with. The effectiveness of the immune system to fully fight diseases is therefore
reduced significantly during periods of chronic stress. More often people with chronic stress
succumb to different kind of ailments a good example being the herpes breakout characterized by
the development of sores within around the genitals or mouth.
Chronic Stress and Major Depressive Disorder
Depression is a variety of mood disorder that blocks individuals from being involved in a
variety of activities, and in extreme cases, it can result in severe symptoms that have an impact
on how individuals think and carry on with their daily activities (APA, 2017). People that
experience depression often feels sad, dejected, of no values, restless, they are irritable, most of
the time being angry and helpless. The main risk factors of MDD are physical illnesses, drastic
changes in the individuals life, trauma, stress, and genetics. Different types of depressions do
exist, and they can be portrayed differently depending on the circumstances that person is going
through (NIH, n.d). The persistent depressive disorder also more commonly known as dysthymia
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is a type of prolonged depressive disorder that carries on for a long time up to two years.
Psychotic depression is made up of a combination of psychotic behaviour with extreme
depression. Perinatal is a mild disorder which clears out after two weeks and is more common
among women going through the pregnancy phase. Fourthly, the seasonal affective disorder is as
a result of seasonal changes that are common in winter periods which is triggered largely by the
reduced sunlight, and once there is favourable weather the individual gets back to normalcy.
Lastly, bipolar disorder is where the individual goes through extreme durations where they feel
low (NIH, n.d).
MDD is quite prevalent and greatly immobilizes individuals, in the country, it is
considered as a major public health concern leading to it being prioritized as a health priority in
several government initiatives (Health People 2020, 2014). Depression is said to affect one in
every 15 adults annually that is equal to 16 million individuals in the U.S (NIMH, n.d). MDD is
believed to account for more than 8 percent of the U.S Years Lived with Disability (YLD) and
close to 4 percent of the countrys Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY) (NIMH, n.d). MDD
in extreme situations can result in the death, and according to CDC within the U.S it is ranked as
the 10th overall cause of death leading to the loss of more than 40,000 American lives (CDC,
2014). A report by the WHO projected that by the year 2030 depression would lead to more
disabilities compared to any other physical or mental disorder (Manicavasagar, 2012). A lot still
needs to be done to bring the problem much lower, medicine has made great strides but
depression remains as a thorny issue and 35 percent of all cases on average being resistant to the
treatment, those cases fail to respond to the psychopharmacological treatments and trials set
(Rongrong et al. 2015).
The Link between Chronic Stress and Depression
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The association between chronic stress or stress in general and the development of
depression has been the subject of numerous studies to get a better understanding and provide an
increased body of evidence to support that link. Adaptation to stress is affected by environmental
factors which have varied impacts depending on individuals and how they respond to them and
they rely on biological and psychological aspects of the interactions between individual
resources and the stressors. The psychological factors include the cognitive processing that is
linked to the information that is being obtained and the subjective appraisals of a variety of
features that are associated to the stressors which include chronicity, controllability, and
predictability and resources made available to deal with them (Tafet and Nemerof, 2016). On the
other hand, the biological mediators encompass the process of activating a variety of different
neural structures that are essential to the processing of information which includes sensory
pathways that deliver environmental input to the central nervous system (Tafet and Nemerof,
2016). What it does is it leads to neural activation and the neuroendocrine cascades of molecular
events which are in turn mediated by the following activation of the sympathetic division of the
nervous systems axis and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) (Tafet and Nemerof, 2016).
Psychological vulnerability according to research relies on several features that are linked
to stressful life events such as intensity, length of the issue, strength among many others, and the
availability of resources that could help in coping with them (Tafet and Nemerof, 2016). It also
depends on the appraisals of the brain and mainly in attaining a balance between resources and
stressors. The exposure to uncontrollable and unavoidable stressors for an extended period could
result in decreased cognitive and behavioural coping strategies that deal with environmental
events which are largely informed by cognitive appraisals and is said to be linked to the greater
feeling of being helpless (Tafet and Nemerof, 2016). In recent years the focus of many types of
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research has been on the role of depression and its association to brain health, and a stressinducing episode mainly triggers it. However, depression goes on to become more challenging
and carry a life of its own. Stress sends several brain neurotransmitter systems which include
dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, which are affected and go out of balance and
subsequently lead to negative effect on the individuals sleep, appetite, mood, and even libido.
People that are severely depressed have a permanently high level of cortisol that can have the
effect of changing the hippocampus and lead to a permanent effect on the brain cells.
The impact of depression according to research is a long term condition that has the
potential of leading to further relapse and associated with high levels of disabilities and in
extreme conditions even result in deaths (Palazidou, 2012). Depression has also been associated
with the structuring of the brain and how it functions and is linked to abnormalities. Genetic
vulnerabilities and stress have been touted as the major triggers to aetiopathogenesis. Through
the dysregulation of the Hypothalamo-Pituitary Adrenal (HPA), the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) and
hippocampus levels, as well as the homeostasis, are affected (Palazidou, 2012). The PFC that is
affected and suffers impairment is unable to regulate higher levels of activities in limbic and
cortical regions resulting in the clinical appearance of depression which is often corrected by use
of antidepressants that reverse the alteration that may have resulted in modulation of the corticallimbic neuro-circuit activities.
Conclusion
The prevalence of depression within the country is quite high, and it results in lifetime
risks of as much as 20 percent leading to morbidity and mortalities (Kessler et al. 2005).
Stressful life events have an essential role to play in the beginning and subsequent development
of depression which is seen as a product of different interactions between the impact of
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environmental stressors as well as particular factors of the individual’s vulnerability. In cases
where the stressors are overwhelming and not easily resolved, it ends up becoming chronic. The
conditions and mechanisms that give feedback and control stress responses end up not working,
a receptor resistance would then develop, and the levels of stress remain high and affect the
immune system and damage the long-term tissues and organs (Silverman and Sternberg, 2012).
According to research most of the bodily functions and systems are influenced by chronic stress,
and when it carries on for much longer, such stress suppresses the bodys immune systems and in
the end attacks the body as an ailment. The first response of the body, when faced by a stressful
condition, is fight or flight response and when the situation is brought under control or the
looming danger averted the response subsides, and the body ends up relaxing returning to its
normal conditions.
Whenever a problem faces individuals, the first step is to assess the situation and attempt
to see how serious the issue is if it one that would require resource intervention at levels that one
cannot cope with then it is deemed as too serious, and that will result in stress. It is the method
by which the body reacts to situations that can make a difference in how susceptible the ailment
and the general well-being of the individual. Stress becomes negative when it goes above the
individuals ability to cope, leading to fatigue of the bodily functions, and also causing physical
and behavioural challenges (Salleh, 2008). Distress leads to confusion, lack of concentration,
anxiety, overreaction among other problems. When stress persists in the case of chronic
episodes, the reaction will enter a secondary stage, and the corticosteroid secretions carry on at
levels above normal, the body will be unable to cope and would lead to a breakdown of bodily
resources (Salleh, 2008).
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