ABSTRACT
Occupational Stress is a hot topic among employers, disability providers, disability managers, and other workplace stakeholders. The physical dimension involves a cascade of biological processes that results from bodily challenge, while the psychological dimension involves the cognitive perception of an event as exceeding resources for coping. Selye is famous for conceptualizing stress as the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). The GAS is a three-stage process characterizing the body's attempt to defend itself against stressful agents. Stress-related symptoms may also result in psychological symptoms including such things as depression, anxiety, and/or substance misuse. The primary facet of the nervous system involved in regulating stress responses is the autonomic nervous system. It is called autonomic because it acts to regulate the body outside of conscious awareness. During times of stress, the hypothalamus releases corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) which binds to receptors on the pituitary and stimulates the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
