1. STRESS
Prepared by:
Maria Angela L. Diopol

2. STRESS

3. COMMON CAUSES OF
STRESS
Bereavement Lack of time
Family problems Moving home
Financial matters Relationships (including
Illness divorce)
Job issues

5. A stimulus that causes stress
STRESSOR

6. LIFESTYLE STRESSORS
Stressor Yes No
Getting stuck in traffic
Exhaust fumes/air pollution
Interruptions at work
The weather
Noise at work or at home
Waiting in queues
Overcrowding
Poor relationships
Time pressure
Financial difficulties

7. MIND STRESSORS
Stressor Yes No
I always have to be pleasant no matter how I
feel
I have to be the best at whatever I do
I must do everything perfectly
I cannot do much about my life
I often feel I am not good enough
I will never be a success
Everyone is better than me
I am the only who can solve my problems.

8. BODY STRESSORS
Stressor Yes No
You are unfit
You have had a recent accident
You have an unbalanced diet
You sleep badly
You sleep badly
You smoke
You take drugs
You neglect your body

9. WORK STRESSORS
Stressor Yes No
You are overworked
You feel undervalued
There is too much office politics at your
place of work
The demands of work are affecting your
private life
You are unhappy with what you are paid
You have to manage people.,
You frequently take work home
You occasionally get into conflict with
colleagues.

10. THE BIOLOGY OF
STRESS

11. SHELL SHOCK
COMBAT FATIGUE

12. IMAGE FROM THE
GREAT WAR TAKEN IN
AN AUSTRALIAN
ADVANCED DRESSING
STATION NEAR YPRES
IN 1917. THE
WOUNDED SOLDIER
IN THE LOWER LEFT
OF THE PHOTO HAS A
DAZED, THOUSAND-
YARD STARE - A
FREQUENT SYMPTOM
OF "SHELL-SHOCK".

13. SHELL SHOCK VICTIM

15. PTSD VIDEO

16. DEFINITION
ASD and PTSD are characterized by severe anxiety symptoms
and follow a threatening event that caused feelings of
fear, helplessness, or horror.
ACUTE STRESS DISORDER
Anxiety lasts < 1 month (but > 2 days)
 POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
Anxiety lasts > 1 month

17. POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS
DISORDER
Psychological disorder characterized by
episodes of anxiety, sleeplessness, and
nightmares resulting from some disturbing
past event.

18. PTSD
ACUTE
less than three months
CHRONIC
three months or more

20. RISK FACTORS/ ETIOLOGY
Traumatic events
Premorbid factors as substance abuse,
personality disorders, childhood trauma,
external locus of control, etc.

21. TRAUMATIC EVENTS
 War  Kidnapping
 Natural disasters  Assault
 Car or plane crashes  Sexual or physical abuse
 Terrorist attacks  Childhood neglect
 Sudden death of a loved one  Or any shattering event that
 Rape leaves you stuck and feeling
helpless and hopeless

23.  The amygdala (Latin, corpus amygdaloideum) is an almond-
shape set of neurons located deep in the brain's medial temporal lobe.
 Shown to play a key role in the processing of emotions, the
amygdala forms part of the limbic system.
 Conditions such as anxiety, autism, depression, post-traumatic
stress disorder, and phobias are suspected of being linked to
abnormal functioning of the amygdala, owing to
damage, developmental problems, or neurotransmitter imbalance.

25. SYMPTOMS
Intrusive recollections
Avoidant/Numbing
Hyper-arousal

26. PRESENTING SYMPTOMS
Onset
May occur at any age, more likely among the young
or elderly.
About 50% of cases resolve within 3 months.
Course
Symptoms usually begin immediately after
trauma, but can occur months or years later.

27. PTSD TREATMENT
Counselling
Group Psychotherapy with other survivors
Pharmacotherapy
SSRIs
Antidepressants
Benzodiazepines

28. TRIVIA
 Working with trauma victims can lead to a counselor developing PTSD
symptoms.
 Although many people tend to associate PTSD with war-related
violence, it is actually this event which most often leads to a PTSD diagnosis.
 Jake was involved in a bad car accident three weeks ago in which his best
friend died at the scene. Ever since the accident, Jake has not been able to
sleep, thinks about the accident all the time and refuses to ride in a car. Jake
is most likely suffering from:
 A person with drug and alcohol issues is more likely to have PTSD than
the general population.

29. Jane was sexually assaulted two months ago and is still
experiencing PTSD symptoms. Which PTSD diagnosis is she
likely to have?
Hearing about a traumatic event cannot create PTSD
symptoms; a person must experience the traumatic event first-
hand in order to develop symptoms.
The most commonly co-occuring disorder along with PTSD
is…
PTSD is untreatable.

30. HOW STRESSED
ARE YOU?

31. OVER 150
This is fairly representative of your situation over a
period of years, or even just months, then your stress
problem is quite severe. You are fast approaching
‘burnout’. If you do not do something to improve your
damaging lifestyle immediately, you could be on the way
to a nervous breakdown or paving the way for illness.

32. BETWEEN 110 AND 149
Your stress levels are too high. You may be going
through a crisis or major change in life. If so, do not worry
too much as your body is designed for handling short-term
stress and your score may simply represent such a period
in your life. Try to focus on the issues that are causing you
problems and try to deal with them one at a time.

33. BETWEEN 90 AND 109
 Your stress levels are moderate. You are not in the danger zone yet
but could be if you do not take care. If you scored five in any area, you
could be experiencing stress carried over from past events. Unresolved
issues and unfinished business, which may have happened years
before, can cause just as much stress as present issues. If this sounds
familiar, try to identify and address the problems. If you are unhappy
about tackling them down on your own, then you may benefit from
seeing a counselor.

34. BELOW 90
You show few signs of stress. This low
score could mean that you have struck the
right balance as you seem to be coping well
with whatever stressors you encounter.