Stressed or stressed out: What is the difference?

Bruce S. McEwen

doi:10.1139/jpn.0540

journal article Sep 01, 2005

Stressed or stressed out: What is the difference?

Bruce S. McEwen

Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Vol. 30 No. 5 pp. 315-318 · Canadian Science Publishing

View at Publisher Save 10.1139/jpn.0540

Abstract

The term “allostasis” has been coined to clarify ambiguities associated with the word “stress.” Allostasis refers to the adaptive processes that maintain homeostasis through the production of mediators such as adrenalin, cortisol and other chemical messengers. These mediators of the stress response promote adaptation in the aftermath of acute stress, but they also contribute to allostatic overload, the wear and tear on the body and brain that result from being “stressed out.” This conceptual framework has created a need to know how to improve the efficiency of the adaptive response to stressors while minimizing overactivity of the same systems, since such overactivity results in many of the common diseases of modern life. This framework has also helped to demystify the biology of stress by emphasizing the protective as well as the damaging effects of the body’s attempts to cope with the challenges known as stressors.

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Metrics

103

Citations

17

References

Details

Published: Sep 01, 2005
Vol/Issue: 30(5)
Pages: 315-318
License: View

Authors

B

Bruce S. McEwen

Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

Cite This Article

Bruce S. McEwen (2005). Stressed or stressed out: What is the difference?. Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 30(5), 315-318. https://doi.org/10.1139/jpn.0540

Stressed or stressed out: What is the difference?

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