What can cause ulcers, blindness, paralysis, headaches, physical pain, and even lead to murder or suicide? BUT, without it you could not function or even survive.
Give up? The answer is STRESS. Without stress we would have no blood pressure or pulse. We could not breathe because the diaphragm would not function. We would be unable to walk, rise, or even have sex. Stress also motivates us to find a job, get a mate, protect self and others, and look for ways to improve our station in life.
Somewhere between "OK" and "Stressed Out" is a stage of anxiety that includes mild hyperactivity, frequent headaches (like a steel band around the head), complaining and mild agitation, indigestion, and a good possibility of neck, shoulder, or back pain.
This is a crucial phase because the person can be highly motivated with sufficient energy to help their own situation. During this time a moderate level of stress is a dubious ally. Symptoms are uncomfortable but not incapacitating. With some organization, a little luck, and no further complications the person is motivated to actively seek remedies to their unacceptable situation.
Too much stress causes the person's world to begin falling apart. Stress becomes overwhelming and unrelenting, interfering with appetite, sleep, and leisure. This condition can actually cause difficult medical and psychological conditions that do not always respond to traditional therapy modalities. When stress and anxiety are left untreated a significant depression can develop.
Given the human's natural tendency to self-medicate, both anxiety and depression can lead to use of alcohol or drugs - complicating, confusing, and in most cases, rendering ineffective treatment sought by the sufferer.
Using booze or street drugs during a mood disturbance has been indicated in over 70% of suicides, 50% of homicides, and over 75% of abuse cases.
How do you know if stress is getting out of hand? Well, that is exactly what this page is all about.
If you recognize yourself or someone you care for in the following descriptions, please seek or encourage your acquaintance to seek help. Anxiety is easily treated in early stages and virtually NEVER requires treatment extending beyond a few weeks at most.
Good Luck!
SargeDude
The victim of stress will notice physical symptoms before anything else. Tension headaches are often so severe relief can only be delivered by actual relaxation of the musculature by hefty doses of muscle relaxers or narcotics.
The symptoms are so disabling for a reason. I believe they are giving us a jump on something that is threatening to get out of hand. The intensity and variety of the symptoms can be roughly correlated to the perceived intensity and urgency of the threat (problem).
Observers will see behavioral changes first. Not every symptom has to be present and there is no order of appearance. The key is a change in some behavior. Friends that choose to intervene must remain aware that the victim senses the world through temporarily distorted filters.
SEXUAL ACITVITY is impaired quickly. There may or may not be a loss of libido or desire. Erectile and ejaculation problems plague males while females can suffer amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, irregular periods, spotting, increased susceptibility to infections, dryness, or pain.
Men will agonize about normal sexual responses to stress. But unless they know it is common they will add fear of permanent sex problems to their growing list of concerns. Men, as a group, are still notoriously resistant to seek help for either sexual or emotional problems.
ILLNESSES become frequent. Anxiety has been shown to interfere with the body's natural defenses against illnesses. Some common sources of pain and concern are: headaches, temporomandibular joint pain (TMJ syndrome), nausea, indigestion, diarrhea, and constipation Some people have fallen or injured themselves because of problems concentrating, unsteadiness, and other factors.
PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION is the natural result of sleeplessness, reduced appetite, and endless mental activity. Some untreated conditions have been known to exist for months and years making the person's recovery long and arduous.
THINKING becomes difficult and is marked by forgetfulness, confusion, and an inability to make even small decisions. Thoughts may seem at times to rush at the victim, overwhelming and smothering them. At other times they report that they were incapable of forming, much less express a thought.
SELF-MEDICATION means using large amounts of over-the-counter medications, alcohol, illegal drugs, or in some tragic cases, combinations of all in the pursuit of symptom reduction. The vast majority of people that use chemicals for relief will increase their use.
A person known to use substances but stops in the midst of turmoil may be in a very dangerous mental state.
Alcohol, marijuana, sedatives, and general "downers" are commonly used to self-treat anxiety disorders. Unfortunately the chemicals fail miserably and invariably worsen the situation.
APPEARANCE and hygiene deteriorate in relation to the vegetative symptoms of appetite, sleep, and mood disturbances. Dark circles develop under the eyes that have lost their luster. The eyes will look tired.
Hair will be unkempt and oily - dirty. Movements will look labored or awkward. Clothes may be wrinkled, soiled, or saturated with body odor. Household chores and personal hygiene tasks are far beyond the ability of the victim.
If the appetite is sufficiently disturbed the person will become gaunt and thin. Rapid weight loss and a poor appetite can cause life-threatening medical problems.
These signs must develop over a period of time. By the time they are noticed the victim could well be considered a psychiatric emergency.
AVOIDANCE of people, places, and things is common as anxiety progresses. Social isolation creates a condition in which the person is left to continue recycling old and ineffective ideas while effectively removing themselves from sources that could offer new insights.
UNSTABLE moods are common. They can occur without notice or reason. In the most common scenario the victim will burst into tears for no apparent reason. Less commonly the person may find humor in inappropriate situations. Anger, often with some acting out, is a very common feeling. It is likely to be directed at the most available targets - sadly that is often spouses, children, friends, and pets. Remorse and self-hatred usually follow the angry outbursts.
IRRESPONSIBLE AND SPONTANEOUS behaviors may occur. The person seeks relief through some past experience that brought happiness and pleasure. Pursuits to find relief through excess are often fraught with their own consequences. The areas of excess commonly are substance use, spending, gambling, or sex which are likely complicate an already intolerable situation.
LEGAL AND FINANCIAL problems may be a source of the original stress. It is often complicated beyond imagination during some inappropriate behaviors. Ignoring things that could be considered willful misconduct, remember the person experiencing a severe mood disturbance may very well be unable to balance a checkbook, remember to pay bills, or similar life requirements. The person too often discovers that they are still culpable for problems resulting from their actions and inactions.
APATHY can best be described as "I couldn't care less!" and they mean it. If a subject, topic, or task is not directly related to remedying their condition the person will be unwilling or unable to be concerned with anything "extra." A significant development is signaled when the person begins avoiding activities that used to bring pleasure.
TENSION AND RESTLESSNESS are constant. Many people describe a feeling of "running on the inside." They feel pressured to do something - anything for a while. Eventually, having met failure at every turn, as they quit trying, the drive to solve their situation continues to pressure them.
IRRITABILITY can be seen as hypersensitivity, arrogance, or anger. They can become argumentative and defensive. Their behaviors are often seen as over-reaction and even hysteria.
MENTAL FATIGUE will be exhibited as preoccupation, failing to keep appointments, forgetfulness, and emotional responses to having little control over the frequency and intensity of their own thoughts. They often display rigid and concrete thinking.
OVERCOMPENSATING is not common but worthy of mention. The person may become grandiose or focus great amounts of energy in alternative directions like school, the job, or the home. They try to enhance their injured self-image by overachieving in one area, hoping to create a comfortable balance between perceptions of success and failure.
Ultimately they fail and are faced with a condition that has come to affect every aspect of their life and they have depleted their reserves of physical and psychic energy. This is one example of the defense mechanism of denial.
DENIAL is a defense mechanism commonly employed. It is far easier for humans to project blame at other people, institutions, or even rules than to look to themselves for the solution. We tend to apply labels of "weakness" and "failure" to seeking help for disturbed mental processes.
About the author:
SargeDude served in the US Army for 21+ years as a behavioral science specialist and combat medic. Some of his duty assignments include: 18th Airborne Corps, 89th Military Police Brigade, and the Academy of Health Sciences. His awards and decorations include three Army Commendation Medals and two Meritorious Service Medals.
He earned his BS degree in Social Psychology from Park College. He completed the National Interagency Counternarcotics Institute Manager's course and received additional illegal drug training from the DEA. He has been nationally certified as a bachelor's addictions counselor with an endorsement as a criminal justice specialist.
He resides in Scottsdale, Arizona and is working to become an author and growing his hair.
gamblin@yahoo.com