Improving Mental Health in Health Care Practitioners, Essay Example

Role of Interpersonal Stress

Interpersonal stress refers to the tension caused by conflicts with other people. It results from a feeling of loneliness and a lack of social connectedness (Slavich et al., 2020). What remains unknown to many people is that stress is an everyday coping event. The increased heart rate during stress is meant to help people cope with the situations they endure. However, when stress increases beyond a particular point, it disrupts everyday living and life activities; it is considered a clinical problem (Slavich et al., 2020). The people suffering from these states need to seek professional help as soon as possible to prevent worsening of the condition.

In most cases, stress arises due to changes in the typical environment a person is used to experiencing. An example is when high school students get admitted to college institutions. The students are introduced to a radically new environment that they do not know (Cheng et al., 2015). They are not familiar with anyone and are eager to join any social group so that they may once again belong and feel accepted (Wong & Fong, 2015). Interpersonal stress commonly arises in the workplace when people with different values and outlooks on life meet one another (Cheng et al., 2015). The inherent incompatibility makes them not get along. Such people do not enjoy working with one another anymore, leading to tension between them. These are but a few examples of interpersonal stress.

Further, many people are uninformed about the impacts of interpersonal stress. The resulting perception is that it is relatively insignificant compared to other problems that people face. However, the reality is that stress has significant clinical consequences that need to be addressed (Cho et al., 2017). The outcomes of the people experiencing interpersonal stress have psychological and somatic effects (Cheng et al., 2015).

Psychological consequences have to do with the mental health of the affected individual. As a result of high-stress levels, affected individuals often become depressed (Cho et al., 2017). Depression is a clinically significant illness and a significant contributor to low life quality and reduced mortality rates (Cho et al., 2017).  Furthermore, depression leads to low mood and feelings of sadness. It follows that depression further aggravates the intensity of interpersonal stress people have (Cheng et al., 2015). Depressed people often seclude themselves from the community. They have reduced appetite levels, and as a result, weight loss is common.

Moreover, they may develop a change in behaviors such as throwing tantrums previously not present. Performance levels in these individuals take a drastic decline, whether in school or at work. Hence, stress is a major contributor to mental illnesses in the form of depression. Another consequence of interpersonal stress is the occurrence of anxiety (Cho et al., 2017). Due to being delineated from other people, the affected individuals develop a general apprehension about social situations (Wong & Fong, 2015). Pressure can range from mild to severe. The mild form is easily managed. However, severe cases negatively affect the lives of individuals. Anxiety usually leads to obese states. There is also an increase in suicidal thoughts in these people (Wong & Fong, 2015). The likelihood of obesity increases. The somatic consequences of increased stress are many and vary in occurrence from person to person. They include a reduction in appetite, fatigue, and reduced activity levels.

Overall, stress leads to a reduced quality of life. The health consequences of people affected by the condition need to be addressed (Hall et al., 2020). One of the significant ways to counteract the effect of stress is implementing social support systems.

The Role of Social Support in Dealing with Interpersonal Stress

Social support is the stimulatory effect that friends, family, and colleagues can have on a person. The impact is immense, especially for people experiencing high levels of interpersonal stress (Cheng et al., 2015). A more recent term is a social support network. This is the connection of people who support one another emotionally and psychologically (Hetzel-Riggin et al., 2020). In this regard, the people who offer support in any form fall into this bracket. The type of support that can be afforded includes advice, encouragement, acceptance, tangible assistance, and emotional assistance.

The most common form of support occurs in the form of advice, which is a recommendation given regarding a particular situation. Having someone to always turn to for reliable advice can help in the mitigation of interpersonal stress (Cheng et al., 2015). Feelings of loneliness in supported people are usually uncommon. Encouragement refers to offering uplifting words that serve to motivate (Lee & Waters, 2020). This helps to improve the overall mood hence preventing stress. Acceptance is one of the essential feelings that human beings need. It results in the person assenting to a particular situation without denying or contradicting it. This is important in promoting social acceptance, especially of major life-changing events (Lee & Waters, 2020). People’s coping skills, as a result, improve. Tangible assistance is one of the benefits of belonging to a network (Lee & Waters, 2020). Financial assistance forms the core of feelings of self-sufficiency that negate the occurrence of stress. Lastly, emotional assistance is afforded to the social support network members (Hetzel-Riggin et al., 2020). In this model, social support reminds the people of their abilities and talents—feelings of self-worth and value increase. In essence, people who receive emotional support are more likely to cope with stress better than other people.

Social Support as an Intervening Variable

An individual’s stress level is linked to their health outcomes due to the adverse effects that high-stress levels have on the individual. This is a commonly cited explanation. However, to give validity to the above statement, the use of an intervening variable is necessary. An intervening variable is used to describe the relationship that exists between different variables. Social support is a valuable intervening variable when dealing with stress, health, and how the two variables link (Hetzel-Riggin et al., 2020). People who have high levels of social support are more likely to feel secure and sound about themselves (Le et al., 2019). This is due to the constant reinforcement that they will always have people who support them no matter what. Such people can effectively deal with stress. Hence, social support networks serve to negate the effect of stress (Hetzel-Riggin et al., 2020). Low levels of stress lead to an increase in people’s health. They are less likely to suffer from psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, loss of appetite, and somatic effects. Hence, social support is an intervening variable in the relationship between stress and the individual’s health outcomes.

Health-Enhancing Behaviors

Involvement in health-enhancing behaviors influences the quality of life of many people. Emphasis on these activities and models of engagement is essential in counteracting most life’s downsides and tragedies (Hearon et al., 2018). There are several important life enhancement activities that one can engage in every day. The most critical factor in using these skills involves developing regularity in the performance of these activities. This leads to the development of routines. Routines rely on establishing a new neural network in response to the increased engagement in health-enhancing behaviors (Hearon et al., 2018). Such individuals become highly receptive and develop regularity with performing these activities.

One of the health-enhancing behaviors can be classified as medical service usage. People prone to developing a particular disease will be more likely to seek medical attention than other people (Wong & Fong, 2015). This is in line with the health belief model. The health belief model is fundamental in influencing the adoption of health behaviors. Individuals tend to assess their perceived susceptibility and the likely severity of the disease condition. When these variables are high enough, they will lead to the individual seeking help in professional medical expertise (Wong & Fong, 2015). The ways that medical services can be accessed include screening, vaccination among others. Screening is important in the detection of major diseases such as cancers in their early stages. Treatment can be started when the disease process is not advanced. Individuals will get well and recover. The stress associated with being sick is thus avoided. Families and friends are also spared of stress-associated illnesses.

Self-directed behaviors are also another essential facet of health-enhancing behaviors. Engaging in these activities leads to the reduction of stress levels, thus improving the health of the individuals. Exercise refers to any form of physical activity that requires effort by the participants (Hall et al., 2020). Exercise is beneficial as it leads to the release of hormones known as endorphins from the brain (Hearon et al., 2018). These hormones help improve the feeling of wellbeing in the people. However, the release of endorphins is highest in aerobic exercises such as tennis. Exercise is also essential in enhancing mood (Hall et al., 2020). This is done because physical activity mimics the flight and fight response associated with stressful events. As a result, the body learns how to cope with these states. People are, thus, better equipped to handle stress.

Diet is one of the most critical determinants of stress that occurs in people. A healthy diet is essential as food helps in stabilizing the glucose levels in the body (Hearon et al., 2018). Low glucose levels in the body are linked with low energy levels, fatigue, and an increase in the likelihood of stress occurring. Foods help to counteract this. Moreover, high-quality foods that provide required nutrients to the body promote its overall wellbeing and reduce the incidence of headaches and other health-related abnormalities (Hearon et al., 2018). An essential part of food lies in water intake because it balances the body fluids. Also, sufficient water volumes lead to reduced incidences of headaches and low mood. Hence, stress can be mitigated through the observance of health-associated behaviors (Hall et al., 2020). Individuals should be encouraged to participate in these activities that will lead to a reduction in stress levels.

Health Risk Behaviors

At the opposite end of the spectrum are the health risk behaviors. These factors predispose the individuals to stress and its related effects (Hearon et al., 2018). Unhealthy behaviors such as poor diet, lack of excessive consumption, and excessive fatty and salty foods result in health risks such as insomnia, alcohol consumption, risky sexual behaviors, and living a sedentary lifestyle.

Insomnia is defined as reduced sleep levels or extended waking periods. Insomnia is a common occurrence affecting many people in the population. People who are at the highest risk of insomnia are the elderly and middle-aged adults (Wong & Fong, 2015). Insomnia is accompanied by an increased likelihood of depression, anxiety, and other neurological disorders. It reduces the quality of life of the affected individuals, leading to high levels of stress due to lack of sleep (Slavich et al., 2020). In other cases, high-stress levels occur in anticipation of the long sleepless night ahead.

Alcohol consumption is another health risk behavior. It is practiced by many groups of people, such as adolescents, adults, and people of advanced age (Mücke et al., 2020). Excessive alcohol consumption leads to a phenomenon known as alcohol-induced anxiety that occurs for around 8-9 hours after the effects of alcohol wear, and individuals suffering from this experience have increased anxiety levels. This might explain why most alcohol users have elevated stress levels while others engage in the activity due to stress.  The stress could result from financial problems, ethnic tensions, and catastrophic life-changing events (Hearon et al., 2018). Additionally, excessive alcohol intake leads to the release of cortisol in the body, which negates the effects of the stressful event (Smith et al., 2018). However, when the alcohol wears off, higher levels of stress rebound on the individual.

Risky sexual behaviors are also one of the significant contributors to stress. This can be defined as unprotected sexual activities that are often non-discriminatory. They usually occur after alcohol intake, substance abuse, peer influence, and a lack of guidance on sexual-related issues (Mücke et al., 2020). People who frequently engage in such activities are more prone to developing sexually transmitted infections such as Syphilis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and HIV infection. These infections have a high level of social stigma, preventing most people from seeking help or telling others they have the condition. As a result, they experience high stress levels (Mücke et al., 2020). Another issue associated with indiscriminate sexual practices is accidental pregnancies. The very nature of those pregnancies, unexpected, makes them unwanted. Mothers in particular experience high levels of stress, often linked with natural hormone imbalances, preparing for birth, and catering to the child’s financial needs.

A sedentary lifestyle is one of the least known causes of stress. This is because of its relatively slow rate of progression. People who lead high levels of sedentary lives do not engage in sufficient physical activities. As a result, there are more prone to developing health issues such as hypertension, diabetes among other diseases. These diseases will need the affected people to take drugs and keep to a strict drug prescription and usage plan. The financial strain on these people leads to the development of high levels of stress (Slavich et al., 2020). Moreover, the clinical symptoms they experience, such as stroke, lead to pain, hence, a decline in their overall experience of life. Stress levels in these chronically sick people are usually very high.

Anxiety

Stress is an experience that places a tremendous toll on the mind and body. Mental conditions of anxiety, depression, and anger lead to stress.  Stress results in the deterioration of health due to uneasiness and fear (Grover et al., 2017). Many people usually become anxious after being placed in uncomfortable events that affect their livelihoods.  Many studies have shown that short-term stress and anxiety are not entirely dangerous (Grover et al., 2017). For many people, short-term stress and anxiety are indicators that bring about survival instincts (Slavich et al., 2020). Most people have been able to escape difficult situations such as accidents due to experiencing stress and anxiety. Such indicators allow people to overcome several hardships in life (Grover et al., 2017). These include unemployment, failure in school tests, and interaction with people.

However, when stress and anxiety are long-term, they can cause adverse effects on the body and mind. People who experience long-term stress and anxiety behave abnormally (Slavich et al., 2020). They are usually reflective of certain events. Some events can be traumatic, while others may be everyday life events. Being anxious will lead a person to keep away from events that trigger anxiety (Grover et al., 2017). As a result, these people avoid regular socialization, and they are unable to think clearly. Prolonged stress and anxiety lead to several body dysfunctions such as stomach pains, headaches, profuse sweating, and paced breathing. Delineated from other people leads to the affected individuals developing a general apprehension about social situations. The mild form is easily managed. However, severe cases negatively affect the lives of individuals. Anxiety usually leads to obese states. There is also an increase in suicidal thoughts in these people (Grover et al., 2017). The likelihood of obesity increases. The somatic consequences of increased stress are many and vary in occurrence from person to person (Gordon et al., 2016).  Most times, the patient is tired and can get severe symptoms such as diarrhea. The mind will also be affected in several ways. Clear indicators include being panic-stricken, poor concentration, emotional instability, and inability to be comfortable in one place. This condition should be treated early to avoid the manifestation of severe symptoms.

Depression

In many scenarios, stress leads to depression. It is common for people to be depressed when they experience traumatic events (Gordon et al., 2016). These events include the loss of loved ones, chronic illness, divorce, or even loss of a great job opportunity. The body becomes excessively reactive to stress. Depression is a clinically significant illness and a significant contributor to low life quality and reduced mortality rates (McCarthy et al., 2016). Furthermore, depression leads to low mood and feelings of sadness. It follows that depression further aggravates the intensity of interpersonal stress people have (Cheng et al., 2015). Depressed people often seclude themselves from the community. They have reduced appetite levels, and as a result, weight loss is common. Moreover, they may develop a change in behaviors such as throwing tantrums that were previously not present.

The brain gets a disbalance in a number of vital hormones. For the brain to function the right way, the proper concentrations of hormones are required. Stress hormones are produced at high levels most times, making other hormones to be produced at unacceptable levels (Grover et al., 2017). For instance, a hormone such as dopamine is produced at high levels, causing tension. In other words, such a massive imbalance of hormones causes depression. When the brain has the correct balance of hormones, proper body and mind functions are expected (Gordon et al., 2016). However, disbalance results in abnormal body and mind activity which manifests in unregulated sleep, appetite, and emotional instability.

Additionally, the body has a self-preservation mechanism of shutting down stress. If this mechanism fails, people will experience elongated stress levels and become depressed (Grover et al., 2017). It is paramount for people to seek alternative means of reducing stress levels. Addressing the event that caused depression is the first step in overcoming depression. People who are in denial and avoid facing their feelings head-on have difficulty in overcoming depression (Wong & Fong, 2015). Depressed people usually turn to destructive habits that facilitate stress coping. They typically start drinking alcohol, abusing drugs, violence, and unhealthy lifestyles.

Anger

Having elevated levels of anger is not good for one’s health. In most cases, anger leads to stress. Some people take the fact that expressing anger is normal. However, elevated levels of anger can be overwhelming for the body. During the rage, the body releases many hormones (Contractor et al., 2015). Hence, when the mind is in a prolonged state of anger, the body will have a disbalance of hormones. As a result, the body will not function normally and will become unhealthy. Additionally, anger causes increased heart rate (Contractor et al., 2015). When such a condition happens longer than usual, the heart can be damaged. Conditions such as heart attacks can be experienced.

Relationship between depression, anger, and anxiety to stress and health

Depression has been observed as being caused by hormone disbalances in the brain. Hence, the body will function abnormally. One of the symptoms of depression is emotional instability. Due to this, an individual can experience elevated emotions such as anger (Contractor et al., 2015). Another study has shown that elongated irritation causes the body to have a hormone imbalance. The Hormone imbalance, when not corrected early, will lead to depression. As a result, anger can cause depression. It is also possible for depression to cause anger (Contractor et al., 2015). Due to the current life trends, people are more likely to experience anxiety and anger. Anger and anxiety are thereby related in the following forms. As illustrated earlier, anger occurs when a person is hurt or loses what is essential to them. On the other hand, anxiety deals with stressful or unpleasant situations that have occurred or tend to repeat (Grover et al., 2017). Anger is a reaction response, while anxiety is a prevention response. Due to this, anger and anxiety are related.

Alternatively, both anger and anxiety are emotions that occur due to stressful events. In many cases, people become both anxious and angry when unpleasant events occur. Stress causes anxiety and anger. Prolonged emotional states of anger and anxiety cause depression (Contractor et al., 2015). Alternatively, depression can cause anger and anxiety. A common factor between stress, anxiety, depression, and anger is that they cause the body to function abnormally. As a result, the body becomes unhealthy.

References

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