Stress and the Biopsychosocial Model - Essay Example

Stress is an everyday word and occurrence that can either be good or bad. Good stress is when our body emits hormones in order to cope, like for exams. Bad stress is connoted as a negative reaction because of how it affects our health and well-being. Bad or good stress is still stress, the only difference lies in how well one can adapt towards it.
People respond to stress in different ways. According to the Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia (2005), the way a person copes with stress is determined by how vulnerable they are towards stress. In their stress-vulnerability model, people who have better-coping skills with stress are less likely to develop illnesses or psychoses due to stress. These people are also less likely to relapse to stress-induced depression and psychoses. This model also illustrates that biological factors play a key in one's vulnerability to stress, such as schizophrenia from a parent, and the person's proneness to developing the same illness due to this predisposing factor.
Some physicians are looking into the bio-psychosocial methods in managing stress since this can develop or mimic certain illnesses depending on an individual's vulnerability to stress. Strategies that are being recommended are altering one's diet and lifestyle changes. (Posen, 1995) A recommendation in keeping a healthy diet and lifestyle increases a person's ability to cope with stress, thus lessening their vulnerability and their likeliness to develop illnesses due to stress. (Posen, 1995)
Managing stress also lies within the person himself. Having a healthy lifestyle plays a key role in a person's capability in handling stress. Organic medicine and natural remedies are some ways that people can also try in order to increase their tolerance towards stress (Bashir 2007).
How Stress Affects Health
Asthma has been one illness that has always been attributed to stress. (Wright, Rodriguez & Cohen, 1998) Because of the impacts of stress on our immune system, our bodies become more prone to viral and bacterial infections that may develop into secondary infections, such as asthma. With the increased workload starting in late December of last year, my asthma became unmanageable. The stress of my job manifested itself on my health first with a simple cold, then with flu-like symptoms, then allergy, and last asthma. Meeting deadlines and not-so-good relations with my boss became stress triggers for me.
The Impacts of Patient Anxiety
Patients experience high levels of stress when they are about to undergo a medical procedure. (Arslan 2004). Patients were asked in what phase of their Rhinoplasty was most stressful and doctors saw an increase of acute-phase proteins that matched their expected stress conditions. Because of this study, drugs were given to patients at these stages of the procedure in order to make the patient feel more comfortable and ease their stress. Read More