On its own, being stressed will not kill you. However, that answer only goes so far in explaining the relationship between stress and mortality. People who are stressed in the chronic sense of the term – that is, they suffer from it for a prolonged period – will often face co-morbidities that can affect their life expectancy. For example, people who get heart palpitations when they feel stressed will be more likely to go on to develop conditions like heart disease than the general population. Heart disease is a significant killer in the Western world. The same goes for cancer, of course. Indeed, certain types of cancer are more prevalent among stressed out and anxious people than others. Furthermore, some of the more severe psychological outcomes that are associated with people being overly stressed can also lead to self-harm and, in the worst cases, suicide.