MH, that is a personal take of yours. Of course it is good to take care of our mental health, but we should also avoid going into meta-stress, o metaworry, meaning the fear that stress or worries can harm you.
We do not want misinformation here, but to present information as accurately as possible.

Psychological stress is not something magical, a good part of the harm it does is via changing behaviours. Stressed people deprioritise sleep and diet, some increase the use of substances like alcohol or stimulants, smoking and risk taking. Stressed people might deprioritise their health altogether, such as not taking medication when needed, or not going to the doctor when health is poor. Stressed people might disengage from prevention. The way stress affects a person is mostly due to genetics. Studies on how stress affects hormones in the body and what can result from that do not have consistent findings outside cardiovascular issues.

Many of the websites present outdated information that is purely speculative about how "stress" impacts health. Scientifically speaking, many of the assertions are not supported by studies. Sometimes, said websites inaccurately present results of research on chronic pain, which is due to various inflammatory diseases that often have a genetic base as being psychological stress, when it has nothing to do with it.

There is a myth that "long-term exposure to cortisol" increases risk for cancer. That assertion is not only inaccurate, because severe chronic stress can have a paradoxical effect on the level of cortisol: it leads to cortisol dysfunction (low levels of cortisol), but it is not scientifically supported. And most of studies on stress and health refer to severe stress and deprivation, usually from childhood on. Not to a singular event in life.

Science shows there is no link between psychological stress and increases in platelets. If there were such link, we would know it by now.

There is also no link supported by science between cancer and psychological stress.

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/c...

There are types of Inflammation that, in time, can lead to cancers, but those types of Inflammation are not due to psychological stress. They are due to genetic factors (e.g., genes linked to inflammatory disease, including autoimmunity), due to pathogens (e.g., HPV infections, EBV infections, H.pylori infections, etc.), due to behavioral factors (such as smoking, high alcohol intake, UV exposure, repeated injuries), and due to environmental factors, such as being exposed long-term to substances qualified as carcinogens. Sometimes medication for other diseases can increase the risk for developing cancers.

As my field of research is psychology, it is a bit difficult to see so many myths about psychological stress.

Does stress cause cancer?

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-myths/can-stress-cause-cancer

Probably just a coincidence for you as, if anti-anxiety medication would reduce platelet count, it would be known by now. But that is not the case. SSRIs do not reduce platelet counts.

Studies do not show psychological stress to increase platelet count to a level that would make a difference in diagnosis. Actually, put together, studies do not find significant differences in platelet count between people who score higher in anxiety or depression and people who do not. Some studies find increases, some studies find decreases, samples are very small. Overall, one cannot say that psychological stress increases platelet count significantly. There is no sound scientific support for that.

What studies agree on is that stress can increase platelet volume (their size), which in turn affects platelet reactivity. This means that, during stress, platelets might be more prone to clump together, more than usual, and also to make platelet-leukocytes aggregates. This means higher clotting risk.
If anything, several studies found lower platelet levels in people with generalised anxiety disorder, because bigger platelet volume is often associated with lower number of platelets.

From one of the studies:
"Also platelet levels were found to be significantly lower in GAD patients in our study. This finding is consistent with the non-linear inverse relation between platelet volume and platelet count."
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24...

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Please. Let's agree to disagree. We need one another for support and kindness. Knowledge is a good thing, but it often does not address our human feelings.

Dear MH and Tia,
Your discussion was really insightful and provided me with information that I had not thought of before. I really appreciate the way everyone presented their opinions, especially the detailed analysis and references to scientific studies.
MH, thank you for sharing your research and perspective on the relationship between stress and platelet count. It helped me better understand how psychological factors can affect the body. Tia, your arguments on the need to carefully analyze the methodology and results of the study were also very convincing and shed light on the right scientific approach.
This discussion not only broadened my knowledge but also reminded me of the importance of taking care of my overall health – both physically and mentally.
Thank you both for sharing your views in such a positive and informative way. Wishing everyone a meaningful and peaceful holiday!

With all due respect, Tia, a quick google search as to whether stress can affect platelet levels gives a resounding “yes”.

There are older studies, but this one I found easily is from 2021:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s1148...

I’m not going to argue this with you again, but the important takeaway, for me, is that we need to be mindful, care for ourselves and be aware that what is going on in our lives can have an impact on our health.

I appreciate your expertise, Tia, and wish you a good holiday,