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Stress & Anxiety

Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among college students. Often, suicide is the result of severe depression. While depression is a highly treatable condition, 2 out of 3 depressed college students never seek treatment. If you are or know a UC Davis student that you are concerend about, the UC Davis Counseling and Pyschological Services (CAPS) has services and 24-hour phone response.

Overview

The word “stress” includes the physical and emotional responses to all the different pressures of living. The right amount of stress energizes us in order to cope and perform at our best. Too much stress interferes with effective coping, causing physical and emotional problems. Muscle tension, headaches, backaches, stomach problems, and other physical problems can be signs of stress. Extreme or excessive amounts of anxiety or worry indicate emotional stress, which can make it difficult or impossible to complete even everyday tasks. Anxiety that is excessively intense or persistent may require professional help.

Signs & Symptoms

According to the DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition), anxiety can be situation specific or general:

Panic Attacks

Often mistaken for a heart attack, panic attacks happen ‘out of the blue.’ Symptoms include pounding heart, chest pain, shortness of breath, trembling or tingling in hands and feet, dizziness, and fear of losing control or dying.

Specific Phobias

A specific phobia is an extreme and upsetting fear of a specific object or situation that isn’t usually harmful, such as social phobia (fear of humiliation in social situations) or agoraphobia (fear of open spaces, but often associated with a fear of panic attacks).

Generalized Anxiety

Generalized anxiety is constant, extreme worry and tension- about loved ones, work, finances- that is present for six months or longer. Sometimes there is no obvious reason for concern, only feelings of constant dread or worry.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a reaction to a serious or life-threatening event, in which a person’s sense of self, safety, or security are endangered. Signs of PTSD include re-living the event, trying to avoid thoughts, people, situations, or activities that evoke memories of the event, and lasting symptoms of physical arousal. These signs generally develop soon after the event, although they can emerge months or years later.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) consists of repeated, upsetting, or intrusive thoughts. A person with OCD sometimes copes with the anxiety about these uncontrollable thoughts or images through repetitive behaviors, such as hand washing, cleaning, checking and re-checking, or other actions that the person feels ‘driven’ to perform.

(signs and symptoms taken from DSM IV)

Prevention

Finding ways to relax is one of the best ways to cope with stress. For different people, this means different things. Being physically active (going to the gym regularly, walking outside, doing yoga), developing a meditation practice, practicing deep breathing techniques, eating a balanced diet, limiting caffeine, using alcohol in moderation, and learning different ways of thinking about stressful situations are all tools that can help cope with stress.

One natural response is to avoid whatever causes stress. Initially, this can seem to help because it reduces anxiety. In the long run, the relief is only temporary. Not only does the anxious response tend to generalize to other situations, but also whatever initially causes the stress can become even harder to face.

Treatment

For different types of anxiety disorders, different treatments are most effective. For example, one part of the treatment for people who suffer from panic attacks is learning to breathe differently at the onset of panic. With social anxiety, treatment focuses on developing tools to manage social situations. Sometimes medication can also be helpful. Consulting with a mental health professional is the best way to figure out what would be most helpful to you.

How We Can Help

  • If you would like to be seen by our medical staff, please contact our Appointment Desk (530.752.2349) to schedule an appointment.
  • Also, our Advice Nurse (530.752.9649) service is free for all UC Davis students to discuss health concerns and the need for medical care.
  • Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is a department on campus that has many services available to deal with stress and anxiety.

Recommended Resources

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last reviewed: Spring 2005