Fast Facts: Stress and Strain

Stress plays a direct or contributing role in seven of the ten leading causes of death in developed nations, including heart disease, strokes, injuries, cancer and chronic liver disease. Although a wide range of health professionals consider themselves to be stress experts, there is no single medical or psychological specialty with particular expertise in stress. For this reason, partnerships including family physicians and mental health professionals often provide the most effective approach to treating stress-related disorders. This handbook offers a concise overview of the psychophysiology of stress, the symptoms of stress-related disorders, the diagnosis of stress and strain, and the preventive management of stress and treatment of strain.