What’s psychological distress?

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Psychological distress is acute mental stress caused by life circumstances or mental illness, measured by severity and duration of symptoms. It can impact recovery from illness and mortality rates, and is often caused by major life events. Symptoms include behavior problems, substance abuse, and an inability to interact with others. Disruption to daily life is a key consideration when assessing distress. Research shows that psychological distress can affect recovery from illness, mortality rates, and the incidence of stroke.

Psychological distress is a broad term describing acute mental stress resulting from life circumstances or mental illness. Levels of distress are measured according to the severity of the symptoms and their impact on the person’s daily life. Some surveys indicate that psychological distress can impact recovery from illness and mortality rates.

Many life events can cause psychological distress, which is viewed by experts as a deviation from normal levels of mental health and happiness. The death of a loved one, divorce, participating in a war, and losing a job are among the major life events that can induce high levels of distress. A person suffering from distress may or may not have a diagnosed mental disorder, although it is important to note that symptoms of illnesses, such as depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder, can sometimes escalate to acute levels with no change in the circumstances of the life. life.

Symptoms of psychological distress can include behavior problems, increased substance abuse, sleep disturbances, poor job performance, feelings of worthlessness, chronic sadness, and an inability to interact with other people. Psychological distress is measured by the severity and duration of symptoms. Assessments often rely on patient self-report. For example, patients might be asked whether they experienced feelings of worthlessness, whether these feelings were fleeting or lasted a while, and whether the feelings were manageable or unbearable.

The level of disruption from normal daily life is an important consideration when assessing levels of mental distress. A person’s ability to work productively, eat a healthy diet, get a good night’s sleep, enjoy normal activities, and socialize are all factors considered when diagnosing and measuring discomfort. Obviously any suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming others are always considered a clear indicator of psychological distress.

Some research shows that psychological stress can affect recovery from illness, mortality rates, and the incidence of illness. One study found that patients experiencing distress were less likely to take medication and follow the recovery protocol recommended by their doctors. These patients also experienced higher pain levels and mortality rates.

Another investigation found a correlation between psychological distress and the incidence of stroke. In fact, psychological distress had a greater impact even when other risk factors such as blood pressure, smoking, and family history or personal history of heart disease were taken into account. The same study, however, found no link between depression and the occurrence of stroke.




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