What is stress?

Diagnosing stress

If you are suffering from stress, you may be experiencing a variety of symptoms that feel severe enough to prompt you to see a health care professional. If you experience any symptoms that concern you, discuss them with your GP - don't wait until they get worse. Stress-related symptoms can include:

• Headaches
• Frequent upset stomach, indigestion, gas pain, diarrhoea or appetite changes
• Feeling as though you could cry
• Muscular tension
• Tightness in your chest and a feeling as though you can't catch your breath
• Feeling nervous or sad
• Irritability and anger
• Having problems at work or in your normal relationships
• Sleep disturbance
• Apathy - lack of interest, motivation or energy
• Mental or physical fatigue
• Frequent illness
• Hives or skin rashes
• Grinding your teeth
• Feeling faint or dizzy
• Ringing in the ears

There isn't a specific test to diagnose stress. Typically, your GP will conduct a variety of tests (which may include a personal and family health history, blood and urine tests and other assessments) to rule out certain conditions.

If stress is identified as the culprit for your symptoms, you may want to ask your health care professional for stress management strategies and consider ways yourself for controlling the stressors in your life - before your health is at risk.

Stress or depression?
Because your symptoms may be similar to those of depression, a health care professional should also evaluate your mental state to determine if you may be suffering from a depressive disorder. Depression is diagnosed based on specific criteria and symptoms associated with depression must be present for two weeks or longer. In fact, the differences between symptoms caused by stress and symptoms associated with stress are their severity and duration. Symptoms associated with stress, anxiety and sleeplessness, for example, will subside when the stress triggering them subsides. When these same symptoms are caused by depression or another mood disorder, anxiety and sleeplessness don't subside without some sort of intervention.