Chronic Psychological Stress: A Case Study

Immune System: When people are under intense stress for a while, their immune systems may become dysregulated, leading to lower functioning of important white blood cells called lymphocytes and to increased production of C-reactive protein (CRP), a protein that spreads throughout the body and causes inflammation and various illnesses. Some studies suggest that immune system dysregulation of this kind may help produce depression.

Schneiderman, N., Ironson, G., & Siegel, S. D. (2005). STRESS AND HEALTH: Psychological, Behavioral, and Biological Determinants. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1,

In an acute stressor, the immune system is heightened. But is suppressed in a chronic stressor. In this situation the cortisol levels rise, and weaken the immune system. This weaken system can make the human body more susceptible to serious disease, infections

They have also found that there are strong links between prolonged stress and disorders, mentally and physically. Kiecolt-Glaser et al 1995 also carried out research into the relationship between Stress and the Immune System. Kiecolt-Glaser et al 1995 = == ==

The biological purpose of the stress response is to help the body to survive either some sort of attack or a serious illness like a stroke or heart attack. During the stress response glucocorticoids divert the bodies energy to the areas necessary for survival like the muscles and the brain and it shuts down the areas that are not necessary for survival like the digestive and immune systems (Sopolsky, 2009). Chronic Stress in this context, is to experience this physical effect on regular or long term basis. This has become a public health issue for humans because we experience this chronic biological response on a too frequent a basis for psychological reasons (Stress, 2008).

Outline and evaluate research into the relationship between the immune system and stress related illness

The effects of stress on the human immune system can cause a variety of diseases and physiological breakdowns. The following article in Psychological Bulletin harmonizes the role of stress in infectious disease as measured either by illness behaviors (symptoms and use of health services) or by verified pathology. Substantial evidence was found for an association between stress and increased illness behavior, and less convincing but provocative evidence was found for a similar association between stress and infectious pathology (Cohen, & Williamson, 1991). In order to help prevent the onset of it is essential that individuals strategize positive stress management techniques. Massage Therapy assists in helping the body relax which synergistically causes the systems of the body to ease during periods of

Stress can get bad enough to where it starts to affect your body system. Things like depression, heart attacks, diseases, rashes and a low immune system can all occur to people dealing with stress bad enough. The number of common signs and symptoms is outrageous and is depressing to see that there are so many people dealing with this and how it’s such a common thing in this world. On stress.org, they talk about the different body systems and how they’re affected. The nervous, musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastro and reproductive systems are all affected in some way and in many ways to say the least. If your stress ever gets so bad, I consider seeing a doctor or specialist seeing how dangerous this can get.

Firdaus Dhabhar gave a short lecture on August 19th, 2015 about the good effects that stress can have on our lives. I read two papers published by Dr. Dhabhar in the last five years, both concerning his research on the biological response of stress and how this can impact our daily lives as well as how it can be both detrimental and essential to good health. Each paper explored stress, one was more focused on the physical and the other focused on both the physical and the mental. Given my own project this summer, I was especially interested in the paper published by Aschbacher and colleagues in 2013 because they also explored cortisol reactivity to stress. While their project and my project looked at very different things in very different populations it was exciting to read more about cortisol and how people are exploring this hormone’s role in our stress

Getting sick is another negative factor of being overly stressed. Chronic stress compromises your immune system and stress hormones affect the body’s ability to fight off illness due to the fact that thymus’s ability to stimulate and coordinate the white blood cell activity.

In fact, psychiatrists have been force to diagnose their patients with diagnoses that were politically acceptable by insurance companies in order to satisfy billing and reimbursement for services. To illustrate, a young person who has experienced traumatic events such as witnessing the death of a love one, extensive sexual/physical abuse, or parental divorce might begin to display disruptive behaviors. As a result, the psychiatrist diagnosed the youth with an adjustment disorder because the child’s insurance will not compensate for the diagnosis of stress related disorder. In the same manner, billing the insurance company for the diagnosis of conduct disorder is more likely to be reimburse oppose to stress related disorders.

Cortisol – commonly known as “the stress hormone” – is a steroid hormone regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, an interaction of endocrine glands thought to be crucial in adapting to behavioural and environmental changes. Cortisol effects many functions within the body, including control of blood sugar levels, regulating the metabolism, reducing inflammation and assisting in immune responses (Randall, 2010; Shu-Fen et al. 2015). The main function of cortisol is to restore homeostasis to the body following stress, and it is the primary hormone responsible for the stress response. Fluctuation of cortisol levels throughout the day is normal for humans, however, sustained high levels of cortisol can have adverse effects. These can include serious health implications

Firstly, it is well known that long term stress has detrimental effects on the body, and the mind. One study published this year showed a possible link between cortisol, the stress hormone, and depression (Jin, et al. 2016). Another literature review published this year linked stress with increased risk of developing several mental and physical conditions, like certain cancers, arthritis, mood and

Chronic stress can also interfere with the body’s immune system directly through hormonal changes. Glucocorticoids-a hormone

      Stress can cause many things that affect a healthy body.  Stress causes quick yet shallow breathing in which case, the body's cells are being deprived of oxygen.  Stress will increase cholesterol levels and can also cause indigestion, heartburn, a decreased sex drive, and also arteriosclerosis (the hardening of the arteries).  While these symptoms may seem minimal, stress can decrease the activity of white blood cells.  Since the white blood cells fight off sicknesses and diseases, the immune system is affected by stress and can make the body more susceptible to colds, viruses, flues, and diseases (Morrison 2).