Stress A little History: 1937 Papez (like Grapes) based his ideas about stress on clinical studies and literature of the time. He discovered that the lesioning of the mammilary bodies in the brains of Monkeys made them very docile. “Rabies Rage” is associated with damage to the Limbic system and specifically the Amygdala. About 1920 Walter Cannon coined the term “fight or flight” in talking about how stress activates the body and drives us to react in some way. Stress is not a stimuli unto itself, it is a distinct response to demands that are put upon us. It is a kind of coping mechanism, especially for those things that we cannot control. Stress is dealt with more successfully, the more control over the stress a person has.

Anxiety itself is associated with the following biological responses: Abdominal distress Muscular tension Fatigue Irritability Headache Insomnia Sometimes Neurosis and/or Panic

Biologically stress does the following…… Stress releases sugar from fat storage Dulls pain (endorphins) Increased heart rate and breathing Blood is diverted away from the stomach and intestine Skin perspiration Elevated blood pressure

Recall How do you get excited? What is D.B.I.? What is Diazepam? What is the conflict test?

Stress Hans Selye: General Adaptation Syndrome (G.A.S.) Alarm, Fatigue, Exhaustion Stress is a holistic reaction to outside events, and you are trying to deal with whatever is happening. Type A personality: Hard driving, competitive, controlling type of person. They want to win, be on time, and they need to be in control. Type B personality: Laid back, easy going, deadlines mean nothing. This person can be productive and may be efficient, but they don’t deal with stress or pressure well. Generally speaking a type A personality will experience more stress due to the demands that they place on themselves. They are more prone to heart problems. But between the two who actually experiences more stress?

Psychosomatic: There is nothing physically wrong with you, but you feel “X.” (i.e., a leg that wont work, or you insist that you are sick when you show no symptoms). Psychophysiological: These are stress related ailments that can actually be caused by stress. (i.e., temporary high blood pressure, muscle fatigue, headache). Biofeedback: This is simply the idea that as you move, your body sends signals to the brain about how the body is doing. If something hurts, you should stop doing that. You can use this feedback loop to teach your body how to calm down quickly. Leprosy has no feedback. Peptic Ulcer: An open sore in your stomach. Helicobacter Pylori bacteria. Stress related can be due to high levels of stomach acid.

Who has more stress? a. A manager who works at a manufacturing plant. He or she has deadlines and production numbers to make. b. A production line person who actually performs the labour on the work line. Yogi in a BOX – tell me a story!! A “one-trick-pony.” The fewer coping techniques you have, the more quickly stress overcomes you. If you have a whole complement of coping strategies, then it may be that you never experience really overwhelming stress in your life. People who have few coping mechanisms are more likely to become drug abusers and addicts as they seek to escape (rather than cope).

The brain does not know the difference between a small stress and a large stress. If you are taking a test that you feel unprepared to complete, your body will react the same way “as if” you were being attacked by a predatory animal. At some point in the past, stress may have been a good coping response, but in modern society we have very few ways to release pent up energy while undergoing the stress itself. This is why exercise is such a good release for pent up stress.

Who is more susceptible to Stress? Why is it that men seem to get all the genetic disorders? What seems to be the key part of type A and heart disease?