Stress Reaction

Stress reaction is a state of tension that may be emotionally upsetting (or even disruptive) in response to an adverse internal or external stimulus.

The condition may be labelled as anxiety or depression in response to external factors (e.g. divorce, bereavement etc) and mistakenly labelled as ‘reactive depression’.

This is not a formal psychiatric condition. However, it is a stress related problem where there is no formal psychiatric diagnosis or the problem does not conform to any defined conditions and is likely to be or may be chronic. In practice there is often some overlap with adjustment disorders as the stressors are always ongoing.

The evaluation and classification of reactions to stress is often very difficult. Chronic stress reactions often overlap with anxiety, depression and personality disorders and also aggravate them.

Anxiety usually occurs as a result of some threatening events and depression may occur as a result of some loss; and both the conditions may co-exist.

Acute stress disorder is an acute (sudden – within hours to weeks) reaction to stressful events and is not prolonged. It is characterized by anxiety and avoidance behaviour (symptoms similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder), which occur immediately in the aftermath of an extremely traumatic event. It does not last more than 4 weeks whereas post-traumatic stress disorder is prolonged. With acute stress disorder the stress is a single event and is not chronic. Both anxiety as a result of threatening events and depression as a result of loss are the prominent symptoms.

The stressors are usually financial, marital, work related and other outside pressures, although in most of the cases there are flaws in the basic personality of a person that leave such individuals susceptible to adverse reactions in stressful circumstances.

Primary care practitioners also use terms such as stress or anxiety / depression in a vague, non-specific manner when referring to reactions to the events of life.