Understanding stress and mental disorders

From the book – Chapter 7: Stress and the Body

Stress and mental disorders

Chronic stress does not always cause a mental disorder, but it is a major risk factor:

• Anxiety disorders: ongoing stress can heighten vigilance and worry, contributing to generalised anxiety, panic disorder, and social anxiety.

• Depression: chronic stress, especially with helplessness or lack of support, can lead to or worsen depression.

• PTSD: follows exposure to severe trauma (war, assault, accident, disaster). Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance, hypervigilance, and emotional numbness.

• Substance use disorders: some people use alcohol, drugs, or smoking to self-medicate stress, which can lead to dependence and worsen mental health over time.

Early stress management can reduce the risk of these conditions developing or becoming severe.

Read the full chapter – Chapter 7: Stress and the Body

Stories from real life

• The Exam Season Knot – Priya, seventeen, lives in Jaipur and is two months away from her board exams. Every evening, when she opens her chemistry book, her heart starts to…
• Running on Empty – Rahul, thirty-four, manages a software team in Pune. For two years he has said yes to every request, working until ten at night and answering messages…
• A New Country, A Heavy Heart – Mei Lin moved from Singapore to Manchester three months ago for her husband's job. She left behind her friends and her work as a teacher. At…
• Meera, Age 38 – Meera worked long hours, cared for ageing parents, and managed the household. She felt rushed and tense. She slept late, skipped meals, and drank multiple cups…

Shloks

• Bhagavad Gita 2.14 – Contacts with the world give cold and heat, pleasure and pain. They come and go; they are not lasting. Endure them, O Bharata.

More on this topic: Stress – causes, symptoms and how to reduce stress at work and in exams

More questions

• Understanding healthy ways to manage stress
• Body-based – healthy ways to manage stress
• Mind-based – healthy ways to manage stress
• Social and lifestyle – healthy ways to manage stress
• Understanding unhealthy coping – stress
• Understanding common causes of stress
• Understanding burnout – stress
• What is the difference between stress and anxiety?
• Understanding adjustment disorder – stress
• Understanding thinking differently about stress
• How to reduce stress – healthy ways that work
• What is burnout and how do you recover?