•  
    • Mental and behavioural disorders account for 19% of the global burden of disease - WHO
    • It is estimated that nearly 450 million people suffer from a mental or behavioural disorder in the world - WHO
    • Nearly 10% of total population suffers from these disorders - WHO
    • Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.
    • Nearly 1% of the Indian population suffer from serious mental & behavioural disorders and 10% from moderate disorders, requiring psychiatric help.
    • By 2020 mental depression will be largest cause of disabilty worldwide and by 2025 it may overtake heart diseases as the biggest health concern - WHO
    • About half of mental disorders begin before the age of 14 - WHO
    • Around 20% of the world's children and adolescents are estimated to have mental disorders or problems - WHO
  •  

Stress

Quick Preview

Stress is great issue in our times of turbulence. It is an incredibly insidious enemy within. At times when our physiological and psychological balance is pushed over the edge, stress beings to threaten our very physical and mental health resulting in extreme form of psychosomatic and physical illnesses.

Vohra Neuropsychiatry Centre Healthcare is on the fore-front of ameliorating a wide variety of stress-related problems. Our online consultancy is ceaselessly helping people fight stress across the socio-economic mix, both in India as well as abroad. Through our integrated mind/body medicine approach, lots and lots of people are able to relive stress-free lives.

Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the ever increasing demands on life.

One’s brain comes hard-wired with an alarm system for protection. When the brain perceives a threat, it signals the body to release a burst of hormones to fuel one’s capacity for a response. Once the threat is gone, the body is meant to return to a normal relaxed state. Unfortunately, the nonstop stress of modern life means that the alarm system rarely shuts off.

All sorts of situations can be stressful. The most important areas causing stress include work, financial matters, marital relations or family dynamics. Events like financial losses, unemployment, dissatisfaction at work, moving one’s house, marriage & divorce or simply little niggles at home or work can all generate stress. A particularly vulnerable person can suffer from coronary heart disease or simply, a heart attack, peptic ulcer, migraine, bronchial asthma, and diabetes. At times, one may not be able to pinpoint the stressor or may not be able to understand how a particular stressor is affecting one’s life. Realizing the problem is like winning half the battle.

Symptoms

Hans Selye has identified the General Adaptation Syndrome that denotes progression of stress after a particular event has occurred. Initially, the mind goes through an alarm stage that involves tensing of muscles, a surge of adrenalin in the body and a rise in blood pressure. This is followed by the resistance stage, in which these heightened mental and physical responses help the person meet the challenge. However, if one is unable to cope with the stress, he/she enters the stage of exhaustion/burn-out.

Some of the immediate effects of stress are well known and often are described as “butterflies in the stomach”, “tightness in breath”, “sweaty palms” etc. Some of these symptoms can be enumerated as:

All these symptoms, when long lasting, can lead to lack of confidence, lack of concentration, irritability or can precipitate a full-blown depression or other mental illness.
Physical symptoms include sweating, trembling, palpitations, muscle tension etc.

Mental symptoms include Worrying thoughts, feeling that there is something seriously wrong with a person, repeatedly thinking whether one will get better or not.

Behavioural symptoms include avoiding situations or people; stopping pleasurable activities; taking tranquilizers or alcohol to reduce stress.

These symptoms can lead to lack of confidence and concentration, irritability or precipitate a full-blown depression or other mental illnesses.

All stress is not harmful; indeed, some stress is essential for one’s very existence and survival. A small amount of stress adds interest and motivation to life and keeps us on our toes.

Some events evoke positive emotions like pleasure, excitement, joy, love, intellectual stimulation while others engender negative emotions like anxiety, hatred, fear, conflict, uncertainty, rage, jealousy, dissatisfaction etc.

Some examples of Positive stress include: feeling invigorated by a competitive sport, getting a promotion one has been waiting for, being in a relationship, etc. Examples of Negative stress include: caught up in a dispute at work, marital disharmony, being stuck in a traffic jam, illness within the family. All such emotions and events generate the Adrenaline response, though to a variable extent.

It is important to understand that one can’t completely eliminate stress from one’s life; one can only learn to cope better. One can handle day-to-day stress in the following simple, yet effective ways: Self-awareness, lifestyle review, setting up realistic goals, effective time management, delegation of responsibility, adequate relaxation and sleeping, regular exercising and a balanced nutritious diet.

Vohra Neuropsychiatry Centre Healthcare psychiatrists have a unique track-record in administering regular online healing to a large number of our patients both within India and other countries.

Dr Sandeep Vohra, Managing Director of Vohra Neuropsychiatry Centre Healthcare, is sanguine about the recovery of patients through regular treatment regime offered by the centre. Our treatment helps relieve symptoms of stress. By our painstaking professional care, people learn to lead rewarding and meaningful lives without stress.