STRESS DISTRESS: TAKE A DEEP BREATH

A year ago Barbara couldn't concentrate. She was crying all the time.

A single parent, she had moved into a new position at her company. She was working 15 hours a day and was planning a big wedding for her daughter. Her son was in the Marines.

"All of sudden I couldn't concentrate, and it scared me. I didn't want to be around anybody," said Barbara.

"I felt like somebody was literally trying to pull the skin off my bones. All I did at night was cry."

She was losing a lot of weight. There was a past history of suicide in the family. A grandmother, aunt and uncle had all ended their own lives.

Barbara didn't want to commit suicide, but she knew something was wrong.

Last fall she went to see Dr. K.P.S. Kamath, a Cape Girardeau psychiatrist who specializes in stress and stress-related illnesses.

He diagnosed the problem as depression brought about by stress, which had its origins in a disastrous marriage that ended in divorce more than 20 years ago.

Kamath helped her recognize the problem. He also prescribed anti-depressant medication, which she is still taking.

Barbara said the dosage is being reduced gradually and she will eventually be off the medication.

Kamath has seen the many faces of stress. Over the past 17 years he has treated more than 25,000 patients, all suffering from stress.

"I see about 20 to 30 new patients a week," he said.

Kamath, whose stress center is in an old, brick house at 815 Independence, tries to teach his patients how to cope successfully with stress.

A hand-stitched sign in his waiting room proclaims: "I am a psychiatrist, not a mind reader. You've got to tell me."

Kamath defines stress as simply getting upset about something.

Stress is unavoidable because life is full of bad events and problems, he tells his patients.

People who don't cope successfully with stress can end up with stress-related ailments such as depression and high blood pressure, Kamath says.

There are two types of stress: acute stress, such as that brought on by the death of a friend or family member, and chronic stress, which builds up slowly.

Stress manifests itself in emotions such as fear, anger, guilt, horror, hopelessness and humiliation, says Kamath. Stress has physical, mental, emotional and behavioral symptoms.

Kamath likes to compare the mind to a balloon, which he draws with a blue marker on the white marker board in his office. When stress levels rise, the balloon inflates. Kamath demonstrates this by placing a deflated balloon on top of a full bottle of soda. He shakes up the bottle, slightly inflating the balloon.

Kamath says at least 85 percent of illness is stress related.

Patients come to him with a variety of ailments from chest pains to headaches.

In 1986, a Southeast Missouri State University student temporarily went blind. Her vision returned after Kamath made her realize that her blindness was an expression of helplessness over her father's diabetic blindness.

Kamath says mental symptoms can show up as a lack of concentration.

Persons suffering from stress disorders often end up going from doctor to doctor in a "medical wild-goose chase," says Kamath. "You run from doctor to doctor and they can't find anything wrong."

Emotional symptoms include panic and a feeling of being out of control. Behavioral symptoms include withdrawing from people or being hostile.

Kamath estimates only 5 to 10 percent of the world's population copes well with stress. Another 35 percent suffers from stress, but doesn't know what is causing it.

Thirty percent has symptoms of stress, but doesn't know why. Another 20 percent has reached the illness stage of stress or given up hope of ever solving the problems. Many of them feel they have a rare disease, Kamath says.

Most of the people Kamath sees are in the last two categories.

Counseling and medication can help those who are suffering from too much stress, he explained.

The keys to dealing with stress: express your feelings, be able to solve the problem and cancel out anger and other negative emotions.

"Our primary goal in the stress center is to educate people about stress," said Kamath.

In addition to his individual sessions with patients, Kamath holds a monthly stress-management class. The next one will be held Aug. 26 from 1-5 p.m. The cost is $50.

The Cape Girardeau psychiatrist also hopes to start a stress-management support group.

Kamath said he seeks to get his patients to understand what are the underlying cause or causes of their stress. "That's what counseling is all about. That's why we are called shrinks. We shrink your balloon," he said with a smile.

People often try to deal with stress through exercise, drinking alcohol, smoking, taking drugs, overeating, gambling or sexual activity. But none of those activities eliminates stress. "They are distractions, but they are not really helpful in the long run," he said.