Is Stress a Type of Disease?

In physiological (normal) sense, stress is body’s response when exposed to unwanted physical, mental, social or environmental stimuli.
Though, it’s a very broad term and may be difficult to derive boundaries of normalcy – stress may be labelled as a disease based on its intensity, duration of persistence, its impact on the physical level of the body and relations in your peer group.
Following are few pointers which indicate that your stress is more than just a mere response; inching towards a disease:
- Stress is associated with insomnia.
- Stress associated with generalised body aches and reduced pain threshold (under the disease entity “Fibromyalgia”)
- Experiencing anxiety before an important undertaking with consistently altered bowel movements and/or abdominal discomfort (under the disease entity – Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
- Severe panic episodes post an unpleasant event in your life is well described in medicine as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
- Your stress induced behaviour is becoming distressful and affecting your equations with your spouse, children and colleagues at work.
Stress which associates with physical symptoms and torments your social life demands quick resolution measures, before it deteriorates.

Always read the label before use.

Disclaimer:
This article is an attempt to educate the patient; it is by no means a replacement for individualistic medical advice.