The Role that Stress Plays in the Onset of Mental Health Conditions

Research on the pathology of mental health disorders has widely implicated stress in the
pathogenesis of numerous conditions. Hans Selye was the first scientist to identify a correlation
between stress and mental health; he created more advancements in the research of stress and
daily living situations (Tan & Yip, 2018) . Selye stipulated that stress was present in an individual
throughout their exposure to a nonspecific demand. Stress has become prevalent in society,
affecting people across different age groups. For example, most workplaces are demanding, and
individuals often struggle with work. Stress plays a significant role in the onset of mental health
conditions, including PTSD, depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, and obsessive-compulsive
disorders.
In 2019 the world was thrown into chaos as the COVID-19 epidemic hit; the “lockdown”
period placed individuals under significant stress levels, and day-to-day tasks were at a standstill.
(Holman, Thompson, Garfin, & Silver, 2020) . Covid 19 pandemic has left psychological scars on
those affected as it ended Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Chronic stress poses a
high risk as it disrupts the physical body and causes cognitive and mental health problems. An
in-depth analysis of stress-associated responses to the body causes the following pathogenesis of
these conditions.
Stress-induced depression is a psychiatric disorder ranked fifth among the leading causes
of global disease hindrances. Depression is a significant risk factor affecting approximately 280
million people worldwide (World Health Organization, 2021) . Stress is bidirectional to
depression; the disruption in routine activities as experienced due to COVID-19 changed
schedules and education, as well as caused a financial change, which brought on stress and vice

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versa to individuals, sets an individual’s psyche out of equilibrium. Depression in relation to
stress onsets factors such as metabolic syndromes, which causes; insulin resistance, eating
disorders, weight loss, diminished appetite, and worse case scenarios such as suicide (Davis et
al., 2017). Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) onset by stress can cause the monoaminergic
neurotransmitters; for example, a dopamine imbalance can cause feelings of hopelessness, while
a serotonin imbalance can impair the processing of emotions.
(Umeoka et al., 2020) States stress onsets Bipolar Disorder as cortisol, a stress hormone,
reaches the brain, impairing decision-making band storage of information. Cortisol over-
exposure or under-exposure over time may have lasting consequences and impact cognitive
performance, as BD causes dysfunction of several brain networks and circuitry in the brain.
Scientists believe there is a link between serotonin and the development of bipolar disorder; tests
show that serotonergic function deficiency causes depressive and manic episodes due to low
counts of 5 hydroxytryptamine (5HT) found in the central nervous system. Individuals are more
prone to stress and thus trigger manic episodes or relapses as they have difficulty adjusting to
stressors in their everyday lives. Neurons in the prefrontal cortex are sensitive to high cortisol
levels resulting in altered morphology and the limbic structures, such as the amygdala and
hippocampus, that are vital for memory. (McEwen & Magarinos, 2001) Explains that memory
impairment formed in the hippocampus is a susceptible region in the brain regarding stress.
Carbonic Anhydrase 3 (CA3) inhibition causes memory impairment as stressors can interfere
with information processing and cause retention in the hippocampus. It is susceptible and critical
to delayed memory retrieval, as it involves long-term memory.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition due to acute stress
exposure or trauma placed on an individual. Serotonin imbalance is found in both BD and MDD

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diagnoses and PTSD. During the research, 5HT is found in higher quantities in multiple brain
regions than in BD and MDD. Both the Dopaminergic hyper-functioning and Dopamine
transporter (DAT) gene researchers found in the striatum are associated with the risk of PTSD
due to trauma-exposed individuals as the amygdala is hyperactive in individuals with PTSD.
Biomarkers have aided in improving risk assessment for patients when it comes to new treatment
plans. According to DSM-5 criteria, an individual with PTSD exhibits; functional impairment,
aggression, inability to recall key events of the trauma, emotional distress after traumatic
reminders, and indirect exposure in the course of one’s profession, for example, first responders.
Stress-induced psychosis (Schizophrenia), according to DSM-5, has at least two of the
five symptoms; hallucinations, seeing things that are not there, hearing voices and incoherent
speech, and disorganised movement. Schizophrenia-diagnosed individuals’ daily lives are
dramatically impacted after diagnoses, such as school, social interactions and work. The three
stages of psychosis are; Prodrome, Acute, and Recovery Phase. Treatment plans are created
according to how long they have had the ailment. More often than not, people with psychosis
may become threatening, violent, or behave confusingly, as individuals ailing from psychosis are
at a high risk of harming themselves than others (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.) .
People with schizophrenia can go into full or partial remission depending on the severity of their
symptoms and the duration of the illness.
(Adams, et al., 2018) Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be triggered by
psychosocial stress depending on the individual’s environment. This disorder is long-lasting and
causes the individual to exhibit “compulsions” and “obsessions” they feel the urge to repeat over
and over again continuously. OCD can interfere with a person’s lifestyle, work, or school life as
it is time-consuming. However, most people with OCD do not realise their behaviour is unusual.

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OCD-diagnosed individuals, according to DSM-5, have a penchant for Hoarding Disorder,
Trichotillomania, Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Skin Picking Disorder. Tic disorders may also
become a factor in an individual with OCD and can reduce or worsen over time; the use of
serotonin inhibitors or antipsychotic medication to reduce OCD symptoms.
The role stress plays in the onset of mental health over the years will continue to play into
people’s daily lives; despite the advancement in medical services, people still take for granted
their well-being regarding mental health. Although treatment methods have come a long way due
to the dedication and effort placed by researchers and scientists, it is still essential to practice
reducing stress levels and avoiding any underlying mental illnesses, as stress will continue
playing a significant role in the onset of mental health conditions and disorders for years to
come.

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