stress reaction
any of the biological reactions to adverse stimuli, physical, mental, or emotional, internal or external, that tend to disturb the organism's homeostasis; should these compensating reactions, physiological or psychological, be inadequate or inappropriate, they may lead to disorders. See alarm r. and acute stress r.; see general adaptation syndrome, under syndrome; and see acute stress disorder, adjustment disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder, under disorder.
Medical dictionary.
2011.