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Mental Health Musings

Mental Health Musings

Ep. 2: Stress Management

Stress Psychophysiology

DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE

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Certain stressful situations are more likely to occur during particular developmental periods.

Maladaptive reactions to stress can already be identified in the infant.

Chronic stress in infants alters the normal stress response in such a way that, as adults, these people appear unconcerned about daily hassles or major life events.

During the first years of life, both positive and negative experiences have the power to change the brain.

During the natural aging of a healthy person, some systems become more vulnerable to stress as physical strength and resiliency decline.

FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT RESPONSE

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In the fight-or-flight response, your body prepares itself when confronted by a threat to either stand your ground and fight or run away.

THE STRESS RESPONSE TRIAD: NERVOUS, ENDOCRINE, AND IMMUNE SYSTEMS

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Psychological and sociological stressors are perceived by the mind and translated by the brain; the brain, in turn, instructs the rest of the body how to adjust to the stressor.

Stress starts with the senses passing along information to your brain, which, in turn, changes your body to be better able to cope with the stressor.

When we experience little or no stress, the cerebral cortex is in charge.

When we experience significant amounts of stress, the limbic system is interpreting what is happening.

When stress is perceived to be especially significant, even life-threatening, the brain stem is dominant.

Relevant brain structures:

Reticular activating system (RAS): Connects the mind and body (i.e., the part of the brain where the external world and internal states meet)

Limbic system: Primarily concerned with emotions and their behavioral expression

Thalamus: Relays sensory impulses to the cerebral cortex

Hypothalamus: Activates the autonomic nervous system

Hippocampus: The part of the brain that sounds the alarm that stress is present

Process of the stress response:

When we encounter a stressor, the body part that first notes the stressor passes a message along nerves to the brain.

These messages pass through the reticular activating system either from or to the limbic system and the thalamus.

Emotions evolve in the limbic system, and the thalamus serves as the switchboard, determining what to do with the incoming messages.

When the hypothalamus experiences a stressor, it activates the 2 major stress reactivity pathways:

Endocrine system: Comprised of hormones that regulate physiological functions

Autonomic nervous system: Controls basic body processes (e.g., hormone balance, temperature, and constriction/dilation of blood)

The hypothalamus releases the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), which instructs the pituitary gland to secrete adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).

Eventually, the adrenal cortex secretes glucocorticoids; the primary glucocorticoid is cortisol.

Cortisol: Provides the fuel for battle (fight-or-flight) by increasing blood glucose so that we have the energy for action

Adrenaline and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) are secreted, leading to accelerated heart rate, constriction of blood vessels, and increase in oxygen consumption (which is why we hyperventilate when stressed).

The thyroid gland is also involved in the stress reaction—specifically, it secretes thyroxin.

Thyroxine: Increases gastrointestinal motility (often resulting in diarrhea), accelerates heart rate, increases blood pressure and anxiety, and decreases feelings of tiredness.

2 divisions of the autonomic nervous system:

Sympathetic nervous system: In charge of expending energy (e.g., increasing respiratory rate)

Parasympathetic nervous system: In charge of conserving energy (e.g., decreasing respiratory rate); responsible for returning us to a relaxed state when the stressor has passed (i.e., rest and digest)

Because of the physiological changes in the sympathetic nervous system, people have been able to perform incredible feats in emergencies.

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