Trauma-Related Physical Symptoms and Illnesses

People often have physical symptoms that are stress induced: the failed stockbroker nursing an ulcer, the overwhelmed housewife having chronic nausea, the hardworking teacher having a late-day tension headache, the businessman having a stress-induced heart attack. These examples illustrate that stress affects our bodies and organs, but how and to what degree? During the last 30 years, stress has been raised in the public's mind as a major contributor to illness. This notion has been reflected in articles published in mainstream magazines such as Time and Newsweek as well as in such health-focused television programs as Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz. Both the U.S. Public Health Service and the World Health Organization's Global Burden of Disease Study have confirmed that stress and mental illness have ...