Diet for Stress Management Slideshow Take the Stress Quiz! Tips for Exercise, Diet and Stress Reduction

Exams and Tests

Your doctorneeds totake a careful history and perform a physical examin order to find any medical problems leading to your symptoms. The doctorlooks for an underlying stress or psychological disorder that could be the source of your stress symptoms.

• Many times, a careful interview can be the best source of information about the cause of your symptoms. It is extremely important that you are completely honest and tell your doctor everything that you are feeling physically and emotionally and describe any situations that you think might be causing your problems or making them worse.

• The doctorthen performs a physical exam that is focused on the symptoms you have described.

• Lab tests or other diagnostic tests such as an ECG (a heart tracing) may be needed to completely rule out an underlying physical cause for your symptoms.

• If these tests and your doctor's exam findingsare normal, the doctor may consult other specialists for further evaluation and treatment of your condition.