Question

A patient is admitted to the hospital for a nervous breakdown due to extreme stress at the workplace. According to Selye's general adaptation syndrome (GAS), this patient is in which stage? 1 Alarm stage 2 Transition stage 3 Stage of resistance Stage of exhaustion

Answer 1

4. Stage of exhaustion because

The three stages of GAS

The three stages of GAS are:

• alarm reaction
• resistance
• exhaustion

What happens within the body during each of these stages is explored below.

Alarm reaction stage

At the alarm reaction stage, a distress signal is sent to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus enables the release of hormones called glucocorticoids.

Glucocorticoids trigger the release of adrenaline and cortisol, which is a stress hormone. The adrenaline gives a person a boost of energy. Their heart rate increases and their blood pressure rises. Meanwhile, blood sugar levels also go up.

These physiological changes are governed by a part of a person’s autonomic nervous system (ANS) called the sympathetic branch.

The alarm reaction stage of the GAS prepares a person to respond to the stressor they are experiencing. This is often known as a “fight or flight” response.

Resistance

During the resistance stage, the body tries to counteract the physiological changes that happened during the alarm reaction stage. The resistance stage is governed by a part of the ANS called the parasympathetic.

The parasympathetic branch of the ANS tries to return the body to normal by reducing the amount of cortisol produced. The heart rate and blood pressure begin to return to normal.

If the stressful situation comes to an end, during the resistance stage, the body will then return to normal.

However, if the stressor remains, the body will stay in a state of alert, and stress hormones continue to be produced.

This physical response can lead to a person struggling to concentrate and becoming irritable.

Exhaustion stage

After an extended period of stress, the body goes into the final stage of GAS, known as the exhaustion stage. At this stage, the body has depleted its energy resources by continually trying but failing to recover from the initial alarm reaction stage.

Once it reaches the exhaustion stage, a person’s body is no longer equipped to fight stress. They may experience:

• tiredness
• depression
• anxiety
• feeling unable to cope

If a person does not find ways to manage stress levels at this stage, they are at risk of developing stress-related health conditions.

After going through above text you will understand that in present scenario patient nervous breakdown has occurred so he is in exhaustion stage