Stress and the Immune System

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Stress and the Immune System

• A. PsychoneuroimmunologyThis word was coined by
  psychologist Robert Ader, who began the study of
  the interaction of psychological and
  physiological processes that affect the bodys
  ability to defend itself against disease.
• B. The perception of stress leads to the
  suppression of the immune system.
• C. Stress is associated with susceptibility to
  the common cold
• D. Stress is associated with slower wound healing.

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Step on the GAS (general adaptation syndrome)

• Despite the fact that there are many different
  types of stressors to which an organism can
  respond, the stress response itself follows a
  predictable pattern.
• Hans Selye (1976) called this pattern the general
  adaptation syndrome (GAS).
• The first is the alarm reaction, in which the
  sympathetic nervous system is suddenly activated
  by the detection of the stressor.
• During the resistance phase, you cope with the
  stressor, and the sympathetic nervous system
  remains aroused to provide energy and protection
  against illness.
• The final stage, exhaustion, occurs when the
  bodys energy is depleted. During this stage, the
  organisms resistance to illness is diminished,
  and energy levels are low.

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Emotional, Cognitive, and Behavioral Responses

• Stress is associated with emotional (crying),
  cognitive (memory loss), and behavioral responses
  (compulsive eating).
• Some responses do not affect functioning, while
  others can severely disrupt normal functioning.

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Traumatic Stressors

• Situations that threaten your own or others
  physical safety, arousing feelings of fear,
  horror, or helplessness.
• Catastrophe Sudden, violent calamities,
  including both natural disasters (2004 tsunami)
  and human-made tragedies such as terrorist
  attacks and warfare.
• Ones response to a catastrophe can have
  devastating effects on physical and mental health
  (i.e. firefighters find themselves reliving the
  events in nightmares and in daytime flashbacks.

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Complicated Research

• Ethical guidelines prevent psychologists from
  recreating disastrous events in order to study
  their effects on volunteer subjects.
• The only way to study these events is to be on
  the scene after the catastrophe, getting the
  story from the survivors while it is fresh in
  their minds.

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Five Stages to Deal with Catastrophes

1. Immediately after the event, victims experience
   psychic numbness, including shock and confusion,
   and for moments to days cannot comprehend what
   has happened.
2. During the phase of automatic action, victims
   have little awareness of their own experiences
   and later show poor recall for what occurred.
   This phase is worsened by a lack of preparedness,
   delaying rescue and costing lives.

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1. Communal effort, people pool resources and
   collaborate, proud of their accomplishments but
   also weary and aware that they are using up
   precious energy reserves. Without better
   planning, many survivor lose hope and initiative
   for rebuilding their lives.
2. Survivors may experience a letdown as, depleted
   of energy, they comprehend and feel the tragedys
   impact. Public interest and media attention
   fade, and survivors feel abandoned although the
   state of emergency continues.

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1. An extended final period of recovery follows as
   survivors adapt to the changes created by the
   disaster. The fabric of the community will
   change as the natural and business environments
   are altered. On the national scale after 9/11,
   survivors demanded to know how the attacks could
   have happened in the first place reflecting a
   basic need to know why? And to find meaning in
   loss.

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Why study stress?

• Stage theories of stress response are useful
  because
• We can anticipate what survivors will go through.
• Allowing individuals to share stories make
  individuals feel more understood and help
  survivors work through their pain.
• When an event is especially surprising or
  unpleasant, we are especially likely to formulate
  explanations.

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• People who undergo any type of trauma are more
  susceptible to physical illness. However,
  survivors who discuss their experiences in detail
  with others suffer fewer health problems.
• Second-hand stress traumatization people who
  obsess with the media coverage will often find
  themselves experiencing symptoms of stress.

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Posttraumatic Stress DisorderPTSD

• The individual reexperiences mental and physical
  responses that accompanied the trauma.
• Nearly one adult in 12 in the US has suffered
  PTSD at some time in his/her life.
• Symptoms can last up to 10 years.

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• Most common witnessing another person being
  killed, living through a natural disaster,
  surviving a life-threatening accident.
• Gender Differences
• Men Physical, Military, being held captive
• Women Rape, sexual molestation, physical abuse,
  neglect during childhood.

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Symptoms

• Distracted, disorganized, and experience memory
  difficulties.
• Suffer psychic numbing to everyday events.
• Feel alienated from other people.
• Emotional Pain problems sleeping, guilt,
  startled response, feeling of betrayal by people
  close to them, anger about having been
  victimized, fear of being alone
• Biological Brain may undergo physical changes,
  hormone-regulating system may develop
  hair-trigger responsiveness

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Friedman RosenmanType A The Leader
Type B The Socializer

• Tendency to accomplish too many things in too
  little time.
• Free-floating hostility
• Irritated by trivial things
• Exhibit signs of struggle against time and other
  people.
• Very independent, direct and to the point.
• React to stressors with larger increases in pulse
  rate and blood pressure.

• relaxed and have a laid-back attitude and
  posture.
• Friendly, accepting, patient, at ease, and
  generally content.
• tend to be trusting
• is able to lead and be led
• very important for the "B" personality to be
  liked by others and can be easily hurt if they
  think someone doesn't care for them.

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Social BehaviorsA v. B

• As then to be more impatient with others and
  become angry when other people hold them back in
  any way.
• In general, Type As report feeling less
  comfortable around others than do Type Bs.
• As prefer to work alone rather than as a team,
  and they seem to resent being told what to do.
• As are more ready to do the opposite of what is
  demanded of them.

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Work BehaviorsA v. B

• As seem to work faster even when no pressure or
  deadline is involved.
• As complain less about hard work and report being
  less tired when it is finished.
• As do more poorly on tasks requiring patience or
  careful, considered judgment.
• Most members of top management are Bs not As.

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12 Steps to Help Type As

1. Monitor your cynical thoughts
2. Confession is good for the soul (talk)
3. Stop those cynical thoughts. As soon as a
   cynical thought enters your mind, tell yourself
   to STOP!
4. Reason with yourself.
5. Put yourself in the other persons shoes.
6. Learn to laugh at yourself.
7. Learn to relax meditation
8. Practice trust.
9. Learn to listen.
10. Learn to be assertive by calmly telling others
    what is bothering you.
11. Pretend today is your last. Stop nitpicking.
12. Practice forgiving.

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Hassles and Uplifts

• Lazarus suggested that the petty annoyances,
  frustrations, and unpleasant surprises we
  experience every day may add up to more grief
  than lifes major stressful events.
• The counterparts to daily hassles are daily
  uplifts pleasant and satisfying experiences like
  hearing good news, getting a good nights sleep,
  solving a difficult problem.
• Hassles may cause physical and psychological
  changes that may result in illness. Uplifts may
  serve as emotional buffers against those
  disorders.

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Common Young Persons List

• Hassles
• Troubling thoughts about the future
• Not getting enough sleep
• Wasting time
• Inconsiderate people
• Physical appearance
• Too many things to do
• Misplacing or losing things
• Not enough time to do the things you need to do
• Concerns about meeting high standards
• Being alone

• Uplifts
• Completing a task.
• Relating well with friends
• Giving a present
• Having fun
• Getting love
• Giving love
• Being visited, phoned, or sent a letter
• Laughing
• Entertainment
• Music

• Every time that you feel a hassle try to give
  yourself an uplift!!!

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Strategies To Deal With Stressand To Promote
Health

• Cognitive Strategies
• Appraisal/Reappraisal
• Ignore
• Problem-Solve
• Cognitive restructuringExamine underlying
  assumptions and automatic thoughts associated
  with the problem, use techniques such as
  reframing to view the problem as more of a
  challenge than threat.

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Emotional Strategies

• Cope with difficult emotions and apply
  self-regulation.
• Obtain emotional support and social support, and
  have close, loving relationships (Erikson).
• Use imagery that generates pleasant emotions.

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Behavioral Strategies

• Time management
• Behavior modification
• Relaxation training
• BiofeedbackThis is a persons using information
  about his or her biological state in order to
  learn how to control it.
• It often involves electronically recording
  information about changes in the persons
  physiological state (e.g., muscle tension),
  providing informational feedback to the person,
  and the persons using that information to learn
  ways to physically control that function (e.g.,
  relax).
• Meditation.
• Avoiding the stressor

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Physical Strategies

• A. Aerobic exerciseThis is sustained exercise
  that can increase cardiovascular lung capacity
  and can help alleviate depression and anxiety.
• B. Diet and nutritionThis is eating balanced
  meals making healthy choices.