The Health & Safety Executive defines stress as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed upon them”. This makes an important distinction between pressure and stress. Pressure can be a positive state if managed correctly and stress can be detrimental to health. It also makes a distinction between the beneficial effects of reasonable pressure and challenge that can be stimulating and motivating. Work-related stress is the natural but distressing reaction to demands or “pressures” that the individual perceives they cannot cope with at the given time. Stress is not a disease or diagnosable illness; however, exposure to excessive pressure can result in health problems both physical and mental.

Controlling and Preventative Management of Stress Evidence-based methods of practice are improving the quality of prevention of ill-health caused by work and enables practitioners to give more sound advice. The techniques of data appraisal, systematic review, and meta-analysis and their application to clinical and preventative medicine through clinical guidelines and economic analyses are well established.