Robb Waanders
S t r e s s u n d d i e A k u t e B e r g - u n d Höhenkrankheit: Ein Modell Stress and Acute Mountain Sickness: A Neuro-Psycho-Somatic Model
SUMMARY The concept of stress has been introduced in psychology and psychosomatic medicine in order to describe the response of biological systems to different types of strain and pressure. Physical stress reactions usually are short-lived and not necessarily detrimental to health conditions. Mild oxygen deprivation (hypoxemia-hypoxia) is a vital physical stressor which triggers an alarm reaction. The adrenal hypothalamus-medulla system is being activated along the fight-or-flight stress axis. Research has shown that the right cerebral hemisphere is predominant in orchestrating the primary alarm reaction. Protective and coping mechanisms are aimed at ensuring adequate oxygen and energy supply to the brain, not unusually at the cost of other organ systems. The symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS) are to be considered as the neuro-psycho-somatic stress response to oxygen deprivation. Therefore, individual vulnerability to hypoxemic-hypoxic stress, and by that to AMS, coincides with personality factors of the neurotic loss-of-control dimension. This article presents a neuropsychosomatic stress-model based on those findings. Keywords: hypoxemia, mild AMS, stress, vegetative nervous system, neurotic trait, brain model
ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Der Begriff Stress wurde in die Psychologie eingeführt, um die Reaktionen von biologischen Systemen auf Belastung zu beschreiben. Die Stressreaktionen des Körpers sind gewöhnlich von kurzer Dauer und an sich nicht gesundheitsschädigend. Milder 145
