Exposure to stressful situations is one of the most common human experiences. These situations can range from daily annoyances and the consequences of overstretched, time-pressured lifestyles, to unexpected events such as illness, loss, natural disasters, and the dramatic effects caused by war-torn environments with ever-present uncertainty and armed conflict.

Stress, anxiety, worry, aggression have all increased significantly in recent years. Individuals throughout the world are reacting physically and mentally to constant stress. The clinical manifistations of stress are seen in doctors' offices every day.  A United Nations Report labeled stress “The 20th Century Disease.” A few years later the World Health Organization called it a “World Wide Epidemic."

Stressors can promote physiological and behavioral disturbances ranging from immune system dysfunction to psychiatric disorders. As a consequence, psychiatric diseases are emerging as a highly significant component of global disease. Projections show a shift by 2020 from infectious diseases to neuropsychological disorders. Neurological and psychiatric conditions could increase their share of the total global disease burden by almost 50%, from 10.5% to almost 15%. This is a bigger proportionate increase than that for cardiovascular diseases.