Diagnosing Chronic and Episodic Acute Stress

How Professionals at MeHelp Diagnose & Differentiate Stress from Other Conditions

Picture this: You’re going about your day when suddenly, your chest tightens, your heart starts pounding, and a wave of dizziness sweeps over you. You feel like you’re having a heart attack, and panic sets in. You rush to the emergency room, convinced that something is terribly wrong. But when the tests come back, the culprit isn’t your heart. It’s stress that’s wreaking havoc on your body.

As we mentioned before, stress isn't something that lives in your head alone. It also manifests as a full-blown assault on your body. For some people, the symptoms are so severe and alarming that they find themselves in the emergency department, convinced they’re facing a life-threatening condition. 

The truth is, stress can be just as dangerous because of its impact on your health and well being. 

If you feel like you’re experiencing the different signs and symptoms of stress, it’s important that you visit a medical professional for a consultation. You can first go to a General Practitioner (GP), especially if you’re experiencing physical symptoms. This is to rule out other medical conditions. But if you’re convinced that you’re experiencing stress, then you can go straight to a registered psychologist like our team at MeHelp. Our team will help you understand the symptoms, get to the root of your stress, and find solutions to overcome stress. 

In this article, we’ll give you an insight on how medical professionals, particularly our team at MeHelp diagnose stress. 

Two types of stress that could be troublesome for your health.

Chronic Stress lingers for a long time. It may stem from ongoing challenges such as demanding jobs, financial burdens, or difficult family situations. Over time, this type of stress can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease and mental health disorders like depression or anxiety. 

Episodic Acute Stress occurs when you frequently experience acute stress episodes. This is common among people with high-pressure jobs or those who consistently feel under pressure. It’s characterised by a recurring sense of crisis. One where you repeatedly feel like you’re lurching from one stressful situation to the next without rest.

If you noticed, these two types of stress are persistent. Which means you’re experiencing them for a longer period of time. As a result, stress chemicals and hormones circulate your body. These create hormonal imbalances and inflammation, which leads to chronic illnesses. 

Recognising stress symptoms

As we mentioned earlier, people visit the emergency department because of stress symptoms. These symptoms show up through various symptoms that can affect your body, mood, and behaviour. Here are some examples: 

• Body: Headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, upset stomach, and sleep disturbances.

• Mood: Anxiety, restlessness, lack of motivation or focus, feeling overwhelmed, irritability, or sadness.
• Behaviour: Eating too much or too little, withdrawing from social situations, using tobacco, alcohol, or drugs to relax, and exhibiting nervous behaviours such as nail-biting.

If you noticed, most of the symptoms of stress are similar to other illnesses. Which makes it challenging to diagnose. Making it more important for professionals such as those at MeHelp to evaluate the symptoms and make the diagnosis. 

Do these symptoms sound familiar? Don’t wait for them to escalate. Reach out to MeHelp today for a comprehensive stress assessment and personalised support tailored to your lifestyle.

How is stress diagnosed? 

The diagnosis of stress typically begins in the emergency department or the doctor’s office with a General Practitioner (GP). When people present symptoms like chest pain or headaches, the GP must first rule out other medical conditions. For example, chest pain associated with stress often mimics heart attack symptoms. Only through careful evaluation, including medical history reviews and diagnostic tests like blood work and ECGs, can doctors determine the absence of heart disease and consider stress as a potential cause.

Although it’s important to remember that not everyone with stress-related symptoms ends up in the emergency department. Many people recognize the impact stress is having on their lives and choose to seek help from a professional psychologist. Instead of waiting for physical symptoms to become overwhelming, they take proactive steps to address the root cause of their stress. A professional psychologist, like those at MeHelp, can offer tailored strategies and support to manage stress effectively, helping you regain control and prevent these symptoms from escalating. By seeking help early, you can improve your mental and physical well-being before stress takes a more serious toll on your health.

Consultation with Healthcare Providers

Once done with tests to rule out other health conditions the GP will assess if someone’s symptoms are related to mental health issues like stress. They’ll ask about work, relationships, and personal life to understand potential stressors. If stress is suspected, they may refer the person to a mental health specialist like the trained and registered professional psychologists at MeHelp for a more detailed evaluation.

In-Depth Diagnostic Process

Psychological Assessment

Once your GP has ruled out physical illnesses, MeHelp’s team of dedicated mental health professionals can help you understand your condition better. We use a variety of tests and tools to diagnose if you are experiencing chronic stress. One of the key tools we use is the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales - 21 (DASS-21). This comprehensive tool is designed to assess the different levels of depression, anxiety, and stress you are feeling. The DASS-21 provides valuable insights into how these factors are connected and how they might be affecting your overall mental well being. By measuring the severity of your symptoms, our professionals at MeHelp can create a tailored plan to address your specific needs.

In addition to the DASS - 21, we also use the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). This is a questionnaire that measures how stressful clients perceive their life to be. This assessment helps differentiate between normal stress levels and those that could potentially lead to more serious health issues.

Exploration of Stressors

Understanding what causes stress is important in addressing it. That’s why we explore the different personal and professional stressors that might be impacting our clients.

During these discussions, we aim to identify any recurring patterns of stress, such as particular situations, relationships, or thoughts that consistently trigger stress reactions. By pinpointing these specific stressors, we can work with clients to develop targeted strategies that address these issues directly. 

This process not only helps in managing stress more effectively. It also aids in building resilience by empowering clients with the skills needed to handle future stressors better. This personalised approach ensures that support is tailored to the client’s specific needs, enhancing the likelihood of successful stress management and overall well-being improvement.

What comes after diagnosis? 

Once we are able to properly diagnose the presence and severity of stress, we are able to create a treatment and recovery roadmap forclients. This roadmap would include a combination of approaches to manage stress both in the short and long-term. These strategies are designed to help them deal with stress in a healthy manner to avoid long-term and chronic effects of stress. 

Takeaway

Understanding and managing stress is important for maintaining health, avoiding chronic illnesses, and enhancing quality of life. That’s why at MeHelp, we are committed to supporting you through this process, providing the tools and support you need to handle stress effectively. If you recognise any symptoms of stress or find it impacting your life, remember that seeking help is a sign of strength. Our team is here to assist you every step of the way.