Am J Psychiatry 1987; 144:1419-1425
Copyright © 1987 by American Psychiatric Association
Controllable and uncontrollable stress in humans: alterations in mood and neuroendocrine and psychophysiological function
A Breier, M Albus, D Pickar, TP Zahn, OM Wolkowitz and SM Paul
Section on Clinical Studies, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.
The authors exposed 10 healthy human volunteers to the stress of loud (100
dB) noise under controllable and uncontrollable conditions on two separate
days. Subjects reported higher self-ratings of helplessness, lack of
control, tension, stress, unhappiness, anxiety, and depression; had greater
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function as measured by elevations in
plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone; and had higher levels of sympathetic
nervous system and electrodermal activity after the uncontrollable stress
condition than after exposure to controllable stress. Thus, lack of control
over even a mildly aversive stimulus can produce alterations in mood as
well as neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous system changes in healthy
subjects.
