Chapter 6
The Effects of Stress on
the Body and Mind
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McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
From Stress to Disease:
The Medical Model
Separates mind and body
Used to explain disease and
treatment
Koch’s Postulates: Every disease
has a single etiologic agent, a
microorganism
No recognition of interaction of
mind and body
GAS model clearly includes
interaction of mind and body
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6-2
Psychosomatic Disease
Models
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 Term coined by Philip Deutsch to illustrate the
interaction between the mind and body in the
disease process
 All illnesses involve mental processes – No
separation
 Common misunderstanding: belief that
psychosomatic diseases are all in one’s head
(those are referred to as somatoform disorders)
 Selye’s GAS model was a clear break from a
medical model approach to disease development
 Led to a variety of models on exhaustion and
disease development (Schwartz, Everly & 6-3
Benson, Alexander etc…)
Everly & Benson’s Disorders
of Arousal Model
(Fig. 6-1 in Text)
 Potential stressors trigger limbic system
arousal (can become Limbic
Hypersensitivity Phenomenon, or LHP)
 Limbic arousal triggers neurological,
neuronendocrine, and endocrine stress
axes
 Overstimulation of those axes triggers
stress arousal (can become arousal
disorder)
6-4
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Two Categories of
Psychosomatic Disease
Psychogenic disease
No disease-causing pathogen
Occurs when chronic stress
response alters structure and
function of body
Examples: colitis,
atherosclerosis, backache,
peptic ulcers
6-5
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Two Forms of Psychosomatic
Disease (continued)
Somatogenic disease
A causative organism exists
The long-term effects of the
stress response weaken the
body’s defenses
Example: Mononucleosis,
influenza
6-6
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Acute Stress
Alarm-phase stress
State of complete mental and
physical readiness
Prepared to fight or flee
Result is fatigue
6-7
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Acute Stress Effects on
Physical Illness
The body suffers no harm when
the lifestyle is balanced
Proper nutrition and exercise
Adequate rest
The greater the frequency of
high level stress, the greater the
need for rest
6-8
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Acute Stress Effects on
Psychological Illness
Anxiety disorders
Panic attacks
Acute stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD)
6-9
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Chronic Stress
Long-term resistance-phase
stress response
General wear and tear on body
Body parts and systems forced
to work for long periods
without adequate rest
Result is malfunction and
breakdown
6-10
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Effects of Chronic, LowLevel Stress on Physical
Illness
The effects are most clear in
psychogenic diseases
Five body systems are most
susceptible
Endocrine
Muscular
Cardiovascular
Immune
Digestive
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6-11
Chronic Stress and the
Endocrine System
The endocrine system perpetuates
low-level stress response
Responsible for a wide range of
other functions
Chronic stress can interfere with
and shut down the endocrine
system – i.e. adrenaline,
noradrenaline, cortisol.
6-12
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Chronic Stress and the
Endocrine System
(continued)
Epinephrine production causes
blood vessels to constrict
Forces heart to pump under greater
pressure
Chronic increase in blood pressure
results in hypertension
Hypertension is primary risk factor
for stroke and heart attack
6-13
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Chronic Stress and the
Endocrine System
(continued)
Norepinephrine production
disturbs platelets and red blood
cells
Causes damage to endothelium
Precursor to atherosclerosis
Converts testosterone into
estradiol
Estradiol not completely
understood
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Often elevated in men who have
6-14
heart attacks
Chronic Stress and the
Endocrine System
(continued)
Cortisol production inhibits
breakdown of epinephrine
and norepinephrine
Interferes with the body’s
ability to relax
Increases blood
cholesterol and fat levels
These are recognized risk
factors for heart disease
6-15
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Chronic Stress and the
Endocrine System
(continued)
Sexual disorders
Men under chronic stress
Show reduced levels of
testosterone
Demonstrate reduced sexual desire
Return to normal when stress is
removed
Women under chronic stress
Exhibit increased premenstrual
syndrome (PMS) symptoms
Research about causes and
treatment lack consistency
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6-16
Chronic Stress and the
Muscular System
Stress affects all three types of
muscle tissue
Skeletal muscles
Smooth (internal organ) muscles
Cardiac (heart) muscle
6-17
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Chronic Stress and the
Muscular System
(continued)
Stress causes a chronic state of
muscle contraction called bracing
Skeletal muscles bracing results
Headache
Backache and muscle pain
Temporomandibular-joint (TMJ)
syndrome
6-18
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Chronic Stress and the
Muscular System
(continued)
Smooth muscles bracing results
A chronic state of internal tension
Stomach ache and diarrhea
Hypertension
Cardiac muscle bracing results
Angina-like symptoms (chest
pains)
6-19
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Chronic Stress and the
Cardiovascular System
(continued)
The cardiovascular system is a
closed system with three
components
Heart
Blood vessels
Blood
Main purpose is to provide food
and oxygen to cells and to remove
waste
6-20
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Chronic Stress and the
Cardiovascular System
Stress
(continued)
Accelerates the heart rate
Makes the heart pump faster and
under greater pressure than
necessary
Increases cholesterol and fats in
blood
Causes atherosclerosis in blood
vessels
6-21
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Chronic Stress and the
Immune System Psychoneuroimmunology
 The immune system performs five
primary functions
Identifies foreign substances such as
germs
Attacks these invaders
Prevents reinfection from these
invaders
Destroys mutant cells
Resists recurrent chronic infections
6-22
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Chronic Stress and the
Immune System (continued)
Chronic stress can alter the
immune system
Depletes nutritional factors
associated with immunity
Causes an imbalance in the
system
Weakens T cells
Exerts a general
immunosuppressive effect
6-23
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Chronic Stress and the
Digestive System
Stress upsets the digestive
process
Smooth muscle tension
Excessive stomach acids
Spasms of esophagus and
colon
Ulcers
Incomplete digestion
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6-24
Effects of Chronic Stress on
Psychological Illness
 Stress is related to many psychological factors

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

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Burnout
Anxiety disorders
Stress-related specific phobia
Stress-related generalized anxiety disorder
Mood disorders
Stress-related major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and
bipolar disorders (and seasonal pattern specifier condition)
 Suicide: a permanent solution to a temporary problem
 People who take their own lives don’t see options (unpredictable
and uncontrollable).
 Suicide rates for adolescents and college-age people are rising
 Three stress-related suicide risk factors
 Depression
 Major loss
 Stressful life events
6-25
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