[5] These illnesses include the following: Depression Obesity Physical stress Malnutrition Eating disorders Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) Uncontrolled diabetes Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) Chronic alcoholism [6] A particular type of hypercortisolism presenting during the above conditions, named functional hypercortisolism, is caused by chronic activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.