Stress & Illness

Stress is something we can all relate to because at some point it has affected each one of us.

It is no secret that excessive stress can have negative effects on our health, thus there is value in understanding its implications.

The following articles will discuss what stress really is and its effects on illness. Additionally, ways of coping with stress to prevent its detrimental effects will be explored. Finally, there will be information on some common diseases in Ghana like malaria and diabetes and their risk factors, as well as their relation to stress.

Regique Laryea (Section Subeditor)

ARTICLES

1. Stress and Illness
2. Stress and Coping with It
3. Importance of Relaxation Training in Behavioural Medicine
4. Stress Reactivity; Why does Stress not cause Illness in everyone?
5. Lifestyle and Psychosocial Risk Factors of Diabetes
6. Lifestyle and Psychosocial Risk Factors of Malaria

NB: To find all articles on Stress & Illness, just search "stress or illness". "Home" lists articles in chronological order. Thank you!

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STRESS AND COPING WITH IT

Stress is something we can all relate to because at a certain point in time we have all had to deal with some amount of it. It is usually a transient overwhelming feeling of incapability in busy life periods but can easily become a chronic condition if left unresolved. It is so prevalent in our lives and so it becomes important for us to develop ways of dealing with it. Not dealing with stress properly whether it be by avoidance, drinking or smoking will eventually manifest as illnesses. It can increase the chance of hypertension, gastrointestinal issues and can also worsen conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, for those with children, chronic stress can put your children at risk of developing Asthma. Excessive stress can even cause premature death. This article will suggest some healthy and straightforward coping mechanisms. One method of coping with stress is known as the problem-focused coping approach or in other words is to actively alter the stres...

OUR FIRST POST!!!!

Sel, there’s no one here! Think we got here first…yippee, hi five! We are super chuffed to have you join us on our journey through a myriad of psychological thoughts and concepts. The Psychology component of GEMP 425 - Population, Health And Medical Statistics was an interesting roller coaster ride in our final preclinical semester. From the first day Prof. Ofori-Attah walked into the MB2 Auditorium and asked us to debate the 'pros and cons of euthanasia' , we knew we were in for a jolly good ride. Starting off with discussing ‘Paradigms in Healthcare’ to investigating ‘Stress and Illness’ as well as honing our patient-doctor communication skills, we went through the entire nine yards in this aspect of the course! Welcome! This blog is a result of our hard work and passion. It contains vital information on psychosocial issues through a medical lens. Learn and have fun as you interact with the articles, illustrations and videos. Hop on to the 'Paradigms...

HOW DOES NEW AND IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY AFFECT THE PARADIGM OF MEDICINE/HEALTH?

Technology has changed the way things are normally done in medicine and healthcare. Sometimes for the better, other times for worse. Technology has made collecting data and managing of health records easier with computerized methods instead of the age-old, hard copy hospital file which is quite difficult to find at times. Technology also makes us aware of ailments of global importance with social media updates to inform us of spread of these ailments and prevention techniques. Improvements in technology has aided to the discovery of cures for many diseases and better treatment methods for conditions such as cancers. All these may affect the paradigm of medicine we are used to in some ways. The true challenge however is the scourge of the internet and mobile phone applications that tend to replace the actual visit to the hospital or the input of a health professional. Doctor visits can be expensive and a bit inconvenient at times so why not just use the internet or an applicat...

MOOD DISORDERS WITH EMPHASIS ON BIPOLAR DISORDER

Mood disorders are a category of illnesses that describe a serious change in mood. Though many different subtypes are recognized, three major states of mood disorders exist: depressive, manic, and bipolar. Bipolar disorder previously referred to as manic depression is a multifactorial illness with uncertain aetiology. It is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs like depression and mania. The cycling between both depressed and manic moods is what characterises bipolar mood disorder. Epidemiology Epidemiological studies have suggested a lifetime prevalence of around 1% for bipolar type I in the general population. A large cross-sectional survey of 11 countries found the overall lifetime prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorders was 2.4%, with a prevalence of 0.6% for bipolar type I and 0.4% for bipolar type II. There are several types of bipolar and related disorders including cyclothymic disorder but the two types of bipo...

THE '22 TIMES

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