But how any two people define it can differ dramatically.
Scientists increasingly look at stress as an important factor in the origin of illness.
According to a recent study in the American Journal of Public Health, civil servants in very stressful jobs are more prone to high blood pressure and heart disease. A divorce or a death in the family can weaken the immune system. Soldiers stressed by service in a war zone may suffer long-term physical effects, as has been documented in all major wars, from the Civil War to the Gulf War. Nothing could be further from the truth. To say that an illness is stress-related is not a fancy new way to blame the victim.