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mental Health (Bourne, 1995) has shown that anxiety disorders are the number one mental health disorder among American women and second only to alcohol and drug abuse among men According to Bourne (1995), the reasons that the overall level of stress is higher in modern times rather than previously may be related to a couple of specific issues. "First, our environment and social order have changed more in the last 30 years than they have in the previous 300 years. The increased pace of modern society-and the increased rate of technological change-have deprived people of adequate time to adjust to these changes" (p.xi). Also, some believe that another factor that makes the situation even worse, is the lack of standards and rules which had been traditionally sanctioned by society and religion, which may leave a vacuum in which people are left to decide various ethical and moral issues for themselves. Whether we except these explanations or provide our own, most probably agree that their experience with stress is that it seems to be increasing in modern society, causing a multitude of social, personal and psychological problems. Fortunately, "stress management training, one-to-one counseling and educational programs on stress reduction have all been shown, in various settings, to give rise to a range benefits which frequently include affective in physiological changes, as well as practical changes, such as reduction in absenteeism from work" (Easton, 1997, p. 188). Bassoti and Whitehead (1997) have also considered effective treatments for stress to include biofeedback, relaxation training, and cognitive behavioral modification. Although modern society seems to embrace quick and easy solutions which focus on reducing specific symptoms rather than showing appropriate concern for the underlying causes and considerations, some clinicians and researchers are recognizing and developing psychotherapy processes which facilitate lasting change. Cognitive behavioral, behavioral, relaxation training and various other models to assist individuals with adapting to the demands of modern-day society, and controlling the level of stress in an individuals life, have been found to be very effective. However, the first step in dealing with stress in an effective manner involves recognizing its various signs and symptoms. Please take the link below to a stress test measuring your possible, current level of stress. By Paul Susic MA Licensed Psychologist Ph.D. Candidate Related Articles: Stress and Cancer Stress Test Stress Management
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