Stress & illness

Keira goes to Dr Bib because she feels anxious, cries a lot and has not slept properly for weeks. Sometimes she feels her heart pounding and thinks she will faint. She always seems to have a sore throat. Keira tells the doctor about all the problems in her life; she is a long-term carer for an elderly relative and has recently been upset by difficulties at work. Dr Bib thinks Keira is suffering from stress. He takes her blood pressure and also takes a blood sample.

Discuss the role of stress in illness. Refer to Keira in your answer.

Carrie is so stressed that she lies awake at night listening to her heart pounding. She works in a large, noisy warehouse sorting packages that come along a conveyor belt. Workers who do not meet their daily target receive only the minimum wage. Carrie has failed to meet her target every day this week. The factory workers have been trying for weeks to organise a meeting to discuss working conditions and work-related illness with the manager.

Discuss what psychologists have found out about workplace stress. Refer to Carrie in your answer.

What terms are used by psychologists to describe A and B below?

A A stage-based process of adapting to a stressor which can end with damage to the immune system.

B When a person’s immune system becomes compromised so that it cannot protect the individual against disease.

In your answer book, write the relevant term alongside each letter.

Briefly outline and evaluate one study of immunosuppression.

Discuss the role of stress in illness.