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1. I feel so distressed that I have recurrent thoughts of suicide or death. Is this stress? What should I do?

   You should seek care or crisis intervention immediately. These types of thoughts are more indicative of a depressive disorder than stress, but your health care professional can assess your situation, give you a diagnosis and recommend a course of treatment.

2. What causes stress?

   What causes a person to experience stress is different for different people; what may be one person's stressor can be an exciting motivator to another person. However, this doesn't mean one person is weak and the other is strong. That being said, some common causes of stress are changes in your life like marriage, divorce, a new job or the birth of a child; trauma or crises, like illnesses, death of a loved one, or a traumatic event like a burglary; excessive demands on you and your time; conflicts or unpleasant people; small daily hassles; barriers that prevent you from reaching your goals; feeling little control over your life; and boring or lonely work.

3. Sometimes when I feel stressed out, I feel a pain or tightness in my chest. What is this and what should I do?

   You need to seek care immediately to rule out heart disease or to begin treatment for any heart-related illness you might have. While you might not have a physical illness, you do need to have this symptom diagnosed. If you don't have a serious illness—rather the stress in your life is causing this symptom—you need to address this issue so your health doesn't deteriorate further.

4. Is stress an illness?

   While stress is not itself considered an illness, it is a common cause of specific medical symptoms from high blood pressure to muscle aches and stomach ulcers. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), in 2008, 53 percent of people surveyed reported fatigue, 47 percent reported headaches, 35 percent reported upset stomach, and 34 percent reported muscular tension as a result of stress.

5. Who's most likely to suffer from stress?

   According to the APA, women report higher levels of stress than men, and women are less likely to think they are doing enough to manage the stress in their lives. On a 10-point scale, 33 percent of women report an average stress level of eight, nine, or 10, versus 27 percent of men. In addition, those most likely to report frequent mental stress include younger adults, working mothers, divorced or widowed individuals, the unemployed and those with low incomes.

6. What are the effects of stress?

   Stress can cause symptoms of a variety of physical and mental illnesses and make you more susceptible to other illness. Some specific symptoms of stress include feeling anxious, depressed or irritable; stomach upset, diarrhea or appetite changes; muscular tension; headaches; mental or physical fatigue and apathy; sleep disturbances and frequent minor illnesses.

7. Can I avoid stress?

   You probably can't completely avoid stressful situations, but you can alter your reaction to those situations, resulting in far fewer physical symptoms of stress and negative results. With enough "tools," some stress may actually feel motivating.

8. Are there treatments for stress?

   While you can't necessarily control the events that cause you stress, you can control how you manage the stress. Cognitive-behavioral methods, a form of psychological treatment that is used to help you substitute desirable responses and behavior patterns for undesirable ones, are the most effective ways to reduce stress. These methods include identifying sources of stress and then altering or avoiding these circumstances; restructuring your priorities and goals; and adjusting your responses to stress by discussing your feelings, keeping your perspective, looking for the positive and using humor. In addition, learning relaxation techniques—the natural unwinding of the stress response—can be helpful. Finally, working with someone to change your life in ways that reduce the external stressors is also helpful. Improving how you cope with stress as well as reducing stressors in your life go hand in hand. Mental health professionals can help you do both of these things.