Effects of stress

Week 2 – The Wedding
Effects of stress
Presented by
Ji Keon LOOI

Acknowledgements
•Dr Craig Hassed’s Year 1 Lecture Notes
•Prof. Khalid’s Year 2 Endocrinology Notes
Visit http://pclgroupd.blogspot.com for more information.

Outline of presentation
After this presentation, you are expected:-
•To define stress and allostatic load
•To look at how the body reacts in presence of stress (endocrinology)
•To discuss the negative consequences as a result of chronic/prolonged stress, using our immune system as an example
•To appreciate different modalities available to help cope with stress

Stress? Allostatic Load? What are they?
Stress
•Perceived inability to cope
•Natural and essential physiological response to threat, to preserve life
•Will impose negative consequences if not switched off when is not necessary

Allostatic Load
•Prolonged stress leads to wear and tear on the body
•Mediated through the symphathetic nervous system

What happened when you are stressed !?!
*Refer to Prof Khalid’s Adrenal Gland Lecture

Craig Hassed’s Revision
Don’t worry
3 more slides to go ;-)

Effects of Stress on Immunity
•Lower immune markers
•Increase susceptibility to infections
•Increase severity and progression of infections
•Increase relapse of chronic and latent infections
•Increase activity of inflammatory illnesses
•Increase activity of autoimmune conditions (in relation to this case)
•Poor response to immunisation
•Effect the activity of allergic conditions
•Impair immune response to some cancers

How to ease stress?
•Focus on the present
–One action at a time
•Clarify perception
–CBT, mindfulness, relaxation
•Learning from but letting go of the past
–Do not ruminate over past mistakes


Mindfulness Based Therapy
•Characterised by dispassionate, non evaluative, sustained moment-to-moment awareness of perceptible mental states and processes

MCQ
The followings are basic assumptions of mindfulness, EXCEPT:
•People generally operate on automatic pilot
•Development of mindfulness is gradual, and requires practise
•Awareness makes life richer and more vivid
•Awareness replaces conscious reactiveness
•It gives rise to veridicality of perceptions

Thank you!!!
Man is not disturbed by events, but by the view he takes of them
~ Epitectus.