When I was in college and for a few years after, I used to get a rash on my chest whenever I was stressed. I don’t know how I deduced that stress was the cause of the rash, but I’m sure my diagnosis was correct. The rash was a nice clue to let me know I needed to chill, as the young people say. The rash always went away as soon as I settled down.
In addition to rashes, psychological distress can cause psoriasis, acne, impotence, coughing, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, and
low and high blood pressure. Stress can also lead to nonepileptic seizures, tremor,
visual impairment, back pain, and gait abnormalities. Scientists have
repeatedly shown that psychology plays a vital role in worsening or improving
outcomes of people with heart disease, cancer, and other medical illnesses. For
example, depression, anxiety, and stress are all major risk factors for
morbidity in patients with coronary artery disease.
The majority of people in the US and UK with common mental
illnesses, such as anxiety and depression, will seek medical help not for their
mental problems but because of physical problems—especially gastro-intestinal
problems. Typically, the doc can find nothing wrong. The common expression is
that “it’s all in your mind.” Your mind might be involved, but so is your body.
It’s all of a piece. Many biological phenomena have a psychological component.
Take blushing, for example. Embarrassment triggers a reaction in which
chemicals and hormones cause our veins to dilate and bring blood to the surface
of our skin. Our heart rate also increases. Such bodily reactions are all a
part of the human condition.
Even if you learn that your stomach issues—or whatever—are
caused by stress and not by something organic, it’s nothing to be embarrassed
about. In fact, now you know what to do. Chill!
For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.
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