A 33-year-old male with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) i…
A 33-year-old male with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is being evaluated after reporting persistent fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and “constant tension in my body.” Laboratory tests reveal elevated cortisol levels and mildly increased blood glucose. The psychiatric nurse explains that these symptoms may be linked to prolonged activation of his neuroendocrine stress systems.Which physiological explanation best describes the patient’s symptoms based on prolonged activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis?