Causes and Effects of Stress - Essay Example

The objective of the current mini-assignment is to determine the cause and effect of stress that has been linked to various diseases. Initially, some relevant statistics on stress in America would be presented prior to expounding on the causes and effects, as required.

Statistics on Stress
The statistics on stress have been monitored by Stress in America where the results have been published on the official website of the American Psychological Association (APA) as patterns were reportedly decreasing, over the past five years. Likewise, the report revealed that “more than 9 in 10 (94 percent) adults believe that stress can contribute to the development of major illnesses, such as heart disease, depression and obesity, and that some types of stress can trigger heart attacks, arrhythmias and even sudden death, particularly in people who already have cardiovascular disease (92 percent)” (APA, 2012, par. 12). The health-related concerns have been proven to be triggered by stress factors.

Causes of Stress
The causes of stress were clearly illustrated in Figure 2 as ranging from financial factors, work, the status of the economy, relationships, responsibilities in the family, health problems that affect one’s family members, personal health problems, job stability, costs of housing, and personal safety, in decreasing order.

The statistics revealed that in 2011, people became increasingly irritable or prone to anger (42%); felt nervous or anxious (39%); were easily fatigued (37%); felt depressed or sad (37%); had manifested a lack of interest or motivation (35%); develops headache (32%); tendencies to cry (30%); complains of upset stomach or indigestion (24%) and exemplifies muscular tension (24%). These all confirm that different causes of stress directly impact people, as manifested through the physical and health concerns, as identified above. Read More