How To Interpret Test Results

If your total is less than 175, you probably won't have any adverse reactions to your stressful experiences.

A point total of 175 to 230 indicates a possible problem, with about a one-third chance you'll feel the impact of stress through physical symptoms.

A total of 230 to 350 indicates a moderate problem, with a 50-50 chance of experiencing a stress related change in your health.

A score of over 350 promises a real threat to your well-being.

If you scored high, don't be alarmed. Although you can't erase those events or changes which have already occurred in your recent past, you can take steps to minimize their stress impact on your health. For example, you can begin a stress relief training program, in which you learn, first, how to relax profoundly as a physical skill and then, how to use that skill to reduce or eliminate your stress responses to events in your life. You can also talk over your problems with a good friend, counsellor, minister or therapist

The Impact Of Stress

Stress can take the form of a variety of physical symptoms such as headaches, heartburn, backache, fatigue, sleep problems, loss of appetite and dizziness, menstrual difficulties, and shoulder and neck pain. Prolonged stress can contribute to high blood pressure and ulcers. It may also contribute to heart disease.

On an emotional level, stress can manifest as depression, agitation, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, outbursts of anger, and uncontrollable rages.

Other consequences of stress include accident proneness, increased smoking, alcohol or drug use, increase in family fights and family violence.

Profiles Of Women Under Stress

Most stress problems are multifaceted, that is, they originate from more than one source.

For example, Rosemary, 23, came into my office three weeks after her first baby was born, complaining of feeling depressed, irritable and having difficulty sleeping between the baby's waking periods. Suffering from sleep deprivation, a colicky baby, a critical mother, a partner impatient for sex, fluctuating hormone levels and unrealistic expectations about motherhood, she sometimes felt like flinging the baby out the window. But this thought made her feel even worse.

As Dr. Witkin-Lanoil says, "Expectations about motherhood are often no closer to reality than a cartoon is to life." In fact, this new mother needed to know that many mothers feel this way, that her stresses were coming from identifiable sources, and that with understanding, rest, and physical help, she could reduce her stress to manageable levels.

Women are not always aware of how many stressors are present in their lives. They seem to be able to endure a large amount of stress and pressure before it begins to wear them out. I often marvel at how the women in my practice continue to function under such conditions.

Christine, a 28-year-old woman, came into my office wondering why she felt tired, run down and depressed. She was pregnant with her third child, still nursing her second, working as her partner's receptionist three days a week and caring for an invalid house guest.

Joan, a 38-year-old woman, complained of chronic fatigue, low energy and persistent vaginal infections. Her 10-year-old son had been killed in a car accident less than a year before, and she went right to a full-time job. Everyone commented on how strong she was, but underneath she was barely hanging on. She was also in the midst of a difficult child custody case over her remaining daughter, marital problems with her new mate, and trying to decide whether to move to another city.