However, distress can be defined as an aversive, negative state in which coping and adaptation processes fail to return an organism to physiological and/or psychological homeostasis. It is also named as emotional harm, mental anguish, mental distress, mental disturbance, mental suffering.
In general, emotional distress occurs when the person experiencing an extreme level of unpleasant emotions. It may result from a mental health issue or particular circumstances, such as relationship difficulties or financial strain.
For those who have lived through a natural or human-caused disaster, the anniversary of the event may renew feelings of fear, anxiety, and sadness. Certain sounds, such as sirens, can also trigger emotional distress.
For some people, distress is due to a traumatic experience or event, such as a death in the family. It can also result from a wide range of underlying mental health conditions.
Emotional distress can involve a range of symptoms.
· feelings of depression, anxiety, or emotional numbness
· difficulty managing anger
· declining performance at work or school
· having difficulty thinking or remembering
· compulsive/obsessive behaviors
· feeling overwhelmed, helpless, or hopeless
· trouble making decisions or processing information
· feeling guilty without a clear cause
· unusual irritability or aggression
· sleep disturbances
· dramatic weight fluctuations/changes in eating patterns
· experiencing physical symptoms, like all-over fatigue, headaches, or stomach pain
· spending a lot of time worrying
In tort law, there are two causes of action that involve infliction of emotional distress: intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress i.e., bystander action.
Emotional distress
