Buletin Kesihatan Mental Persatuan Kesihatan Mental Malaysia PATRON: TOH PUAN DATO' SERI HJH. DR. AISHAH ONG
December 2009 (4/09)	KDN PP/5342/10/2010 (0257656)

PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESSES AND MANAGING STRESSES OF EVERYDAY LIFE
By Dr. M Parameshvara Deva



Introduction
Stress is any change in the optimal level of functioning in the life of a person. While physical stresses such as those due to excess work or pain are well recognized and accepted, the stresses caused by psychological problems are often not easily recognized even less often managed successfully. Indeed many people stressed emotionally due to problems at work or home tend to focus on the symptoms of stress such as inability to sleep or gastric complaints that doctors cannot find a physical cause for rather than the actual emotional problems that underlie the symptoms.

Causes of Psychological Stress
All people experience psychological stress sometime in their lives. From the stress of exams or punishment in childhood to stress of failure in love or losing out in promotion or death of a loved one, stresses are a common enough experience. The reactions to these stresses vary a lot from person to person. Those who have had problems in childhood or experienced painful childhood may react adversely to stresses and are easily upset, find it difficult to overcome the stress or even present with physical symp-toms. Although all experience stress some overcome them more easily as they may have a better upbringing and come from happier homes. The causes of stresses such as

Problems in self
Problems at home
Problems at work
Problems in the environment we live in

affect everyone but the degree to which it affects one or the other depends on Nature (what attributes you are born with) and Nurture or the way you were brought up. The ability to cope too has similar features.

Problems in Self
Not everyone is born confident and capable of solving the challenges of life. Some are timid, easily upset and take slights and setbacks very badly. Others feel the stress of difficulties but work hard to solve them. Thus in life there are people who see every challenge as a hurdle too high and cringe with fear trying to avoid the stress.

They may venture little and not get too far in their careers or personal lives. There may be yet others having learnt not healthy methods of coping from irresponsible parents may resort to unacceptable ways ofbehaving that get them into trouble. A person's personality is molded by experiences in early life and from values or lack ofthem learnt from parent figures. Many relationship problems between friends and lovers have their origins in the different and sometimes difficulties in personality that clash.Problems at home.
The immediate environment of a person is his or her home and family where one expects peace, tranquility and happiness but also in reality where a lot ofthe stresses have their origins. From rivalry, and even sometimes cruelty among siblings to child abuse by parent or parents and more commonly unequal treatment ofthe different children by parents stresses in families are very common. Husband and wife may have their own stresses through differences in views, loyalty, divisions in responsibilities, work or views on child care.Marital strife, leading to separation and divorce have major impacts not only on spouses but also the children whose early lives may be permanently scarred by this tragedy.

Problems at Work and in the Environment
Most people adjust to work after a while except those who have other problems in their personality or home - that tends to adversely affect their working life. But once they start work there people one works with the rivalry and problems of favouritism often develop problems of the or promotion that can affect work and by implication the life ofthe individual. There are also problems that are largely beyond the control of the individual or the family such as recession, disasters and war that affect people and cause untold stresses.

Coping with Stresses
Most people overcome stresses without resort to outside help but many others need help. These include religious methods such as meditation, prayers and rituals that help many cope with the distress of stress. Yet others in unhealthy methods of coping use cigarettes, drugs, alcohol or overeating to reduce the negative effects caused by stress. What is more healthy is to

1. identify the areas of stress and
2. work out logical solutions painful though they may be.
Those who find these steps difficult need help from a trained counselor or when more persistent and more serious symptoms exist, need to seek the help of a psychiatrist.



The author is a consultant
psychiatrist and the founder of Asian
Federation ofPsychiatric Associations
(AFPA)