Diseases Caused by Stress

Stress is a natural part of life, but chronic forms such as poverty or an unhappy home environment can become toxic and lead to disease. Common examples include high blood pressure, heart disease, depression/anxiety disorders as well as digestive ailments like ulcers.

Stressful situations trigger brain chemicals that make you sweat, breathe faster and tighten up muscles – useful responses when fleeing from danger but they may also contribute to disease development.

Anxiety

Occasional anxiety or worry are normal; when these feelings interfere with daily life, treatment should be sought. A mental health professional can assist those struggling with anxiety disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), phobias, panic attacks and specific fears including social anxiety disorder (SAD), acrophobia (fear of heights or being enclosed), claustrophobia or health-related anxieties such as fear of disease or death.

Anxiety’s causes remain poorly understood, although genetics and childhood experiences likely play a part. Research suggests that anxiety runs in families; exposure to early trauma or abuse increases susceptibility; while certain personality traits like shyness, behavioral inhibition, or misinterpreting bodily sensations could all play a part in its emergence.

Anxiety treatments include cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), which teaches individuals how to recognize and change negative thought patterns. Medication such as antidepressants or beta blockers may help reduce symptoms while therapy sessions take place; lifestyle modifications like exercising regularly, deep-breathing exercises and meditation programs may also provide beneficial support for managing anxiety.

Everyone responds differently to stress; some coping styles, like avoidance or procrastination, may actually increase anxiety levels while other methods, such as exercise and social interactions can help alleviate it. Anxiety often runs in families; it can also be brought on by certain physical conditions like thyroid issues and arrhythmias.

As symptoms of anxiety can often overlap with depression, it’s wise to consult your physician if you have been feeling anxious or depressed for more than a few weeks. While medications are frequently used to treat anxiety disorders, talk therapy and mindfulness practices may also prove effective treatments. Long-term strategies like exposure therapy and mindfulness practices may also prove useful; although for some suffering from anxiety disorders this struggle will likely never end; with proper management most can manage their symptoms effectively and lead fulfilling lives.

Depression

Depression is a mental illness characterized by feelings of sadness and an absence of interest in activities you once enjoyed, making life miserable for those affected. Depression is the leading cause of disability globally and affects everyone; severe cases may require medical intervention while mild forms may require therapy or medication alone to alleviate. Depression may make daily tasks and relationships challenging to keep up with; you can seek relief through medications or therapy; in extreme cases it could even result in job loss as it leads to substance abuse or suicidal thoughts/attempts.

Depression may be caused by many different factors, including genetics, childhood adversity, hyperactive hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis activity, decreased monoamine levels, and an increase in proinflammatory cytokines. Some individuals also may be more predisposed to depression due to medical conditions like Cushing’s Syndrome or thyroid diseases that put their health at risk.

Adverse life events like unemployment, divorce and the loss of loved ones may trigger depression in some individuals. Prolonged periods of discomfort experienced by people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) also increase their chances of depression.

People with a family history of depression are more likely to develop the disorder; however, many who experience depression do not come from such families. Depression can also be brought on by other medical conditions like hypothyroidism or by HIV/AIDS, diabetes and strokes that interfere with cognitive processes and make you susceptible to the disorder.

Depressed individuals may experience periods of mania, which is defined as periods of extreme happiness or high energy. Their onset may be rapid or gradual. People living with bipolar disorder experience both depression and mania periodically or alternately; or sometimes both forms occur simultaneously in various forms.

As soon as you recognize symptoms of depression, seeking help immediately is crucial. Reach out to trusted friends or therapists or an online counseling service such as BetterHelp; having regular conversation with an expert therapist may help overcome depression and lead to a healthier, fulfilling life.

Heart disease

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in America and its symptoms stem from multiple factors, including unhealthy eating habits, lack of physical activity and smoking – but stress may also play a part – often unseen as one of these risk factors. Long-term stress exposure may have direct impacts on heart rhythms, coronary artery disease and even eventual failure.

Stress may wreak havoc on our hearts by activating an adrenaline response which directs more blood to muscles and extremities while decreasing how much is returning to the heart, leading to chest pains, shortness of breath and increased heart rates – symptoms which could even increase risk of heart attack or stroke.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, can have an enormous effect on heart health. This mental disorder results from significant emotional or physical trauma such as an auto accident, serious illness diagnosis, natural disaster disaster, loss of a loved one or intense fear. Studies conducted by the American College of Cardiology show that people living with PTSD are twice as likely to experience cardiovascular events within two months, according to their data.

Psychological stress can also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by raising levels of cortisol (the hormone that regulates blood pressure), leading to release of adrenaline hormone epinephrine and platelet activation as well as thrombotic effects; potentially even leading to atherosclerosis – build-up of fatty deposits in arteries – through its effects.

People working under high-stress environments are at nearly double risk of heart disease; this is especially true for women. According to a recent study in “Current Hypertension Reports”, chronic stress increases by roughly 20% the chances of hypertension development for each day it lasts, furthering increasing one’s chances of high blood pressure or hypertension development.

Stress should not always be perceived negatively; some forms can actually lead to positive actions like exercising more, eating better or quitting smoking. It’s essential to differentiate between good and bad stress as some forms can be deadly.

Cancer

Research has established that cancer is caused by both genetic and environmental factors, including chronic stress. Unfortunately, scientists have yet to pinpoint a direct cause-and-effect link between stress and cancer; instead it is believed that stress may make cancer easier to form in the body by disrupting immunity and increasing inflammation – two processes known to contribute directly or indirectly to cancer formation.

Stress has multiple ways of negatively affecting our health, from diminishing immunity to prompting unhealthy behavior that puts you at increased risk of cancer. Some researchers believe chronic stress increases cancer risks by encouraging unhealthy behaviors like smoking, overeating, and excessive drinking – these habits could reduce one’s resistance against disease as well as make them less likely to seek medical care if any diseases exist in their bodies.

Researchers suggest that chronic stress directly increases a person’s risk of cancer by weakening their immune system, which acts as the body’s natural defense against viruses, infections and diseases such as cancer. When compromised due to chronic stress, its defense mechanism becomes weaker against cancerous cells caused by errors in DNA.

Still, other researchers have determined that stress can indirectly raise cancer risks by prompting individuals to make unhealthy lifestyle decisions such as smoking, poor nutrition, lack of exercise or social isolation – leading them down the path toward further health decline and making it harder for their bodies to fight diseases such as cancer. This can be particularly problematic for cancer patients themselves who already face a difficult journey against the disease; thus it’s vital that those fighting cancer minimize stress as much as possible and focus on building their immune systems back up again.