Stressors

nervous system is faster than the HPA axis. When stress occurs, the hypothalamus secretes CRF, which is corticotropin-releasing factor, which causes the pituitary gland to release ACTH, which is adrenocorticotropic hormone. This leads to the adrenal release of cortisol, which helps initially but later weakens the immune system.

These stress responses will be favorable in the beginning but will ultimately have negative consequences if the stress is prolonged. High cortisol levels can weaken the immune system, lead to depression, and increase the risk of infectious diseases. People with extreme stress can have major depressive disorder and PTSD. There is an increased risk of heart disease, musculoskeletal diseases, endocrine disorders, metabolic disorders, and nervous system diseases.

STRESSORS

There are different things that qualify as stressors. Stressors can be chronic and extend over a prolonged period of time; they can also be acute but will have effects that last for a period of time, such as an acute injury that has long-term consequences. Stressors can be major or can be minor but persistent, such as dealing with traffic.

Traumatic events are usually major stressors, such as those that threaten life or serious injury. It can be a single event or multiple life-threatening events that occur over a period of time. Traumatic events tend to happen more to men, non-white individuals, and people of a lower socioeconomic status. Traumatic events will lead to PTSD or posttraumatic stress disorder.

Significant life changes can be stressful, such as moving, divorce, marriage, or death of a loved one. There is a definite link between life changes and significant illness, even if the life changes are positive ones. Holmes and Rahe developed the Social Readjustment Rating Scale or SRRS, which looks at 43 different life events that result in the greatest need for personal readjustment. Positive and negative changes are described and these tend to be cumulative over time. There are certain life-change units, called LCUs. The highest LCU happens with the death of a spouse, with divorce being the second highest life change. The scale ranks the LCUs a person has experienced over the prior 12 months.

Anytime there is an accumulation of stressors over one to two years, there can be a wide range of physical and psychological disorders coming out of that. Sometimes, the physical symptoms are greater on the specific days of the stressor. The SRRS seems to be valid across different ages and cultures but has been criticized sometimes for being vague. It also places equal outcomes for both positive and negative stressors, even though other studies show that negative stressors have worse outcomes than positive stressors. Finally, it doesn t account for the different appraisals a person might have to a particular stressor.

Daily hassles can also be stressors. These are things that everyone deals with as part of their life and workplace. These can build one on top of another so that it can lead to symptoms not unlike those of a major stressor. Studies have shown that daily stressors can be worse with regard to mental and physical health than major life changes. People can even be stressed about ongoing social media related hassles that affect them regularly.

Other stressors in life can be difficult, unsafe, or demanding work lives. Some jobs are naturally more stressful, such as police officers, firefighters, the military, and noisy jobs. People who have to alternate from the day shift to the night shift will have an increased level of stress in their lives. Things that predict work stress include having a heavy workload and having lack of control on the job. These lead to job strain as a major stressor. Job strain can lead to cardiovascular disease, weight changes, and depression.

Some people can develop job burnout which is related to chronic job strain. It leads to three separate phenomena. The first is a sense of exhaustion from feeling like there is nothing more you can do. The second is depersonalization, which is detachment from the person you are serving. The third is a decrease in the sense of personal accomplishment in one s job. Job burnout is most commonly seen in people who have human service jobs.

Personal relationships can also be stressful. These are largely negative things associated with a close relationship and involve uncomfortable conflicts, lack of emotional support, and sometimes a lack of reciprocity. Having problems of these kinds in a relationship can lead to an increase in heart disease as well as other diseases.