General adaptation syndrome

psychiatry

1. General adaptation syndrome -- Dr.maithri [FIRST YR PG ] moderator- Dr.saikiran ASST. PROFESSOR

2. stress Stress is an internal state which can be caused by physical demands on body [disease conditions ,exercise ,extremes of temperature,...]or by environmental and social situations which are evaluated as potentially harmful, uncontrollable or exceeding our resources for coping . The physical ,environmental and social causes of stress are called as stressors.

3. Almost any change in the environment ---even pleasant change ,such as a vacation ---demands some coping ;and little stress is useful in helping us to adapt .but beyond some point ,”stress” becomes “distress”. What acts to produce distress varies greatly from person to person but some events seem to be stressors for many of us ex: injuries,infections

4. A rough indicator of stressor strength ,based on the judegements of adults ,adolescents ,and elderly people is give by “life –change units” By adding the life change units during a year,a life crisis score can be obtained for that year. Mild ---150-199 life change units Moderate ---200-299 Major ---more than 300,susceptibility to illness rises progressively

5. Holmes – R ahe life stress inventory

6. Stress cycles Stress has a number of immediate effects and , if the stressors are maintained ,long term behavioural , physiological ,emotional , and cognitive effects occur. If these effects hinder adaptation to the environment or create dsicomfort and distress,they themselves become stressors . on other hand ,many people have developed ways of coping with stressors so that they are able to rspond adaptivively thios is give by wellness cycle

7. Hans selye –general adaptation syndrome

8. Hans selye termed the body’s response to stressors the general adaptation syndrome It consists of 3 stages 1]alarm reaction 2]stage of resistance 3]stage of exhaustion

9. Alarm reaction The alarm reaction is essentially the emergency response of the body In this stage,prompt responses of the body,many of them mediated by the sympathetic system

10. Stage of resistance If stressors continues to be present ,the stage of resistance begins ,wherein the body resists the effects of the continuous stressor ‘.however resistance to new stressors is impaired during this stage . During this stage ,certain hormonal responses of the body are an important line of defense in resisting the effects of the stressor.esp ACTH

11. Cortisol and other ,similar hormones have many actions which allow the body to deal with adaptavely with stressors for long periods of time during this stage,bur maintained high levels of these hormones can be harmful. For instance , cortisol promotes the formation of glucose –a fuel needed for nerve and muscle activity-by breaking down fats n proteins.In short run this is adaptive,in long run, though, the increased use of protien to make fuel may be serious because protiens are needed in the manufacture of new cells.

12. For example,WBC,which are crucial for fighting infection,have a short lifetime and must be continuously replaced.If the proteins needed to make new WBC are in short supply because they are being used to make fuel ,fewer WBC can be produced and the body will be less able to fight infection. Prolonged cortisol ---- raised BP

13. Stage in exhaustion In this stage,the body’s capacity to respond to both continuous and new stressors has been seriously compromised . For instance ,due to the actions of cortisol ,a person may no longer be able to ward off infection and may become sick and perhaps die . or,because of other stressor-induced hormonal effects, stomach ulcers, diabetes, skin disorders, asthma, high BP, increased suspectibility to cancer,or a host of other diseases may occur at this stage. Other pschosomatic symptoms also occur in this stage.

14. Coping with stressors The impact of stressors can sometimes be reduced if a person has control over the stressors

15. Thank you