 |
Shopping Cart 
Checkout
|
 |
 |
|
|
Home : Other Subjects : Psychology Study Guides : 101 : Stress, Coping, and Health : Stress and Disease
|
|
Stress and Disease
Chronic stress is linked to the development of many psychological problems, such as
depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. A large body of research also indicates that stress is
linked to a variety of physical problems, including cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis,
genital herpes, periodontal disease, yeast infections, and the common cold, to name just a few.
Stress and Immune Function
Stress affects the functioning of the immune system, as do age, nutrition, and genetic
factors. The immune system is the body’s defense against harmful agents such as
bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances. It communicates constantly with the brain and
the endocrine system. The immune system has many different kinds of disease-fighting cells,
including B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, and macrophages:
- B lymphocytes are formed in the bone marrow and release antibodies. Antibodies are protein molecules that travel through the blood and lymph and defend the body against bacteria and cancer cells.
- T lymphocytes are formed in the thymus gland and defend the body against cancer cells, viruses, and other foreign substances.
- Macrophages destroy foreign substances by absorbing them.
Stress affects the immune system in many ways. For instance, hormones that are
released in response to stress can inhibit the activity of lymphocytes.
The Link Between Emotions and Illness
Researchers have linked negative emotional states to disease.
Depression
Recent research suggests that depression makes people more vulnerable to heart
disease.
Type A Behavior and Hostility
Researchers have identified a type of personality, called the type A
personality, that is associated with a higher risk of coronary heart disease. People
with type A personalities tend to be competitive, impatient, easily angered, and hostile.
People with type B personalities, on the other hand, are relaxed, patient,
easygoing, and amiable.
Type A personalities may be more prone to heart disease for several reasons:
- Type A people tend to be more physiologically reactive than type B people. In challenging situations, type A people have higher pulse rates, blood pressure, and hormone levels. This physiological reactivity can impair health in the long term. For instance, frequent release of stress hormones increases the likelihood of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries because of cholesterol deposits.
- Type A people may encounter more stressors. For example, because of their behavior, they may be more likely to have marital stress and work-related problems.
- Type A people may have less social support because of their characteristic ways of relating to people.
- Type A people may pay less attention to health-promoting behaviors such as getting exercise and resting when tired. They also smoke more and consume more caffeine.
Hostility, a key type A personality feature, relates most to increased risk of heart
disease. A tendency to get angry easily is associated not only with heart disease but also
impaired immune function and high blood pressure.
Emotional Inhibition
People who have a tendency to suppress emotions such as fear, anxiety, and anger have
a higher risk of becoming ill than people who can acknowledge and express their feelings.
Lifestyles That Endanger Health
People’s lifestyles can endanger their health. Three features of problematic
lifestyles include smoking, not exercising, and eating poorly.
Smoking
Smoking increases the risk of many cardiovascular and lung diseases,
including heart disease, hypertension, stroke, bronchitis, and emphysema. Smoking also
increases the risk of cancers of the lung, mouth, bladder, kidney, larynx, esophagus, and
pancreas. Although formal smoking cessation programs don’t help most people quit, many people
eventually do stop smoking. Research shows that many people quit only after several
unsuccessful attempts.
Lack of Exercise
Lack of exercise can also have strong negative effects. Regular exercise leads to
longer life expectancy, promotes cardiovascular health, decreases obesity-related problems
such as diabetes and respiratory problems, and decreases the risk of colon, breast, and
reproductive system cancers.
Poor Nutrition
Research shows that bad eating habits contribute to health problems:
- Chronic overeating increases the risk of heart disease, hypertension, stroke, respiratory problems, arthritis, and back problems.
- Low-fiber diets and diets that increase serum cholesterol levels are linked to heart disease.
- Eating too much salt may contribute to high blood pressure.
- High-fat, low-fiber diets are linked to cancers of the colon, prostate, and breast.
- A low-calcium diet may contribute to osteoporosis.
Getting Medical Treatment
Once people develop symptoms of illness, their behavior influences whether their
health will improve or worsen. People’s behavior can have an impact at three different stages.
Seeking Medical Help
People who are highly anxious, who score high on the personality trait of
neuroticism, who are very health-conscious, and who are very aware of bodily sensations tend
to report more physical symptoms than other people.
Delaying seeking medical help can have serious consequences, as early diagnosis can
improve the treatment of many health problems. Despite this, people often delay seeking
medical help for several reasons:
- Fear of appearing ridiculous if their symptoms turn out to be benign
- Reluctance to bother their physicians
- The tendency to minimize symptoms
- Unwillingness to have a medical appointment interfere with other plans.
Communicating Effectively
People often have trouble communicating effectively with health care providers.
Communication difficulties frequently happen for the following reasons:
- Medical providers often use jargon and unclear explanations when talking to patients.
- Patients sometimes forget to ask questions they should have asked.
- People sometimes forget to mention symptoms they have or avoid mentioning the extent of their problems for fear of a serious diagnosis.
- People are sometimes passive in their interactions with health care providers because they feel intimidated by health care providers’ authority.
Adhering to Treatment Regimens
People’s chances of recovery decrease if they don’t adhere to the treatment regimens
that their health care providers prescribe. People don’t adhere to medical advice for three
main reasons:
- Not understanding the instructions they are given
- Not following treatment regimens that are unpleasant or interfere significantly with daily routines
- Not following advice if they are displeased about their interactions with their health care provider
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
©2006 SparkNotes LLC, All Rights Reserved.