The purpose of this essay is to apply the psychological factors of stress to Sarah's case study. Sarah is a 23-year-old single mother who has suffered from arthritis since the age of 8; due to this condition he has periods of pain that fluctuate leading to mobility problems. Sarah receives support from her mother and a friend to help her care for her daughter when she has poor mobility. Sarah also has issues with her boyfriend over visitation rights. Sarah receives social benefits which are in jeopardy due to new welfare reforms. Sarah was referred to mental health nursing as she suffers from depression, due to life events which may have been caused by stress. The definition of stress that I have chosen to use is “Stress occurs when a person perceives that the demands of an external situation are beyond his perceived ability to cope with them” (Lazarus, 1966). Excessive or continuous stress can lead to physical and emotional problems with our well-being. The reason this happens is because the body releases hormones called cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine into the body's bloodstream causing the fight or flight response which causes the body to prepare to deal with danger or threat (stressor) . If the stressor continues, the body continues to release these hormones causing other problems in the body, such as high blood pressure and this happens when too much adrenaline is released through the bloodstream. Continuous stress then leads to further complications and in these cases chronic diseases begin to appear, including mental illnesses that lead to anxiety and depression. A scientist called Hans Selye introduced the General...... at the heart of the document...... Works Cited Dr Coleman V (1993). A Consultation with Dr Vernon Coleman, Stress and Relaxation, Hamlyn: Reed International Books Limited, p68-88Friedman M, Rosenman RH (1990), Modifying Type A Behavioral Pattern; A personal overview. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 5, 1-24. Holmes, T. H., & Rahe, R. H., (1967). The social readjustment scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 1 (11), 213-18Lazarus, RS and Folkman, S, (1984). Evaluation and coping. New York: Springer, 18-25Lazarus (1982)http://www.psypress.co.uk/ek5/resources/pdf/chap18.pdf?oo=420.cognitiveappraisal,21 November 2013Selye,H. (1956). The stress of life. New York, NY: McGrawHillAPA: Selye's Theory: General Adaptation Syndrome)-Current Nursing.(nd) retrieved from http://www.currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/selye%27_stress_theory.html