Therapy and Stress

Matching therapy to theory

• Psychoanalytic — free association and dream analysis to surface unconscious conflict.
• Humanistic (client-centred) — active listening and unconditional positive regard; the therapist does not direct.
• Behavioural — applies conditioning directly. Systematic desensitisation pairs relaxation with a fear hierarchy; exposure therapy confronts the feared stimulus; token economies use operant reinforcement.
• Cognitive — identify and challenge distorted thoughts. CBT combines this with behavioural practice and has the strongest evidence base for anxiety and depression.
• Biomedical — SSRIs for depression, antipsychotics for schizophrenia, lithium for bipolar disorder.

Stress and the body

Selye's general adaptation syndrome runs alarm → resistance → exhaustion. Chronic stress keeps cortisol elevated, which suppresses the immune system and raises cardiovascular risk.

Problem-focused coping attacks the stressor and works when the situation is controllable; emotion-focused coping manages the reaction and fits uncontrollable situations. Social support is one of the strongest protective factors known.