Forvarnir - English summary

The World Health Organization (WHO) regards stress as the “scourge of the Western world”. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) it has become “one of the most serious problems of our time, not only for the individuals whose physical and mental health it endangers but also for businesses and governments”. In a new Swedish research project stress related disorders are among the five most usual diagnoses that explains abscense from work.
Normally stress can help by improving performance and some complex tasks are only carried out efficiently under a minimum of stress. But continuous or excessive stress is harmful and although some effects of stress are temporary, others are irreversible and startlingly similar to ageing. The greater the stress, the weaker the body´s defences are and the greater the danger of illnesses. Stress, although not the only or primary cause, is implicated in over half of all human morbidity and mortality. In developed countries, the ten leading causes of death account for 80% of all deaths. Stress is directly implicated in four causes (heart diseases, stroke, injuries, and suicide) and indirectly implicated in a further three (cancer, chronic liver diease, and emphysema and chronic bronchitis)
With increasing time press and increasing emphasis on productivity, the stress on the employers has increased. As much as 35% of sales represenatives suffer from an anxious-depressive syndrome and 15% of the British population are users of anxiolytic, antidepressants and sleeping tablets. The situation is even worse in Iceland and the nordic countries. The European health care systems are spending more and more money on psychopharmaca and the need of alternatives and increased preventive measurements are now widely accnowledged.
The task of Forvarnir is to translate the scientific understanding and up-to date knowledge of stress and stress-related disorders to people working in commercial buisnesses to increase their awareness of stress and its meaning for good health and well beeing. This is accomplished by educational programs based on evidence based medicine and new knowledge in psychology. A teching material has been developed .The target group for the primary use of the program are senior managers and senior management teams, chief executives and human reource managers and supervisors. Especially young people with good education but often limited occupational experience are in need of this new kind of support. They will be trained to recognize excessive and negative stress and how to cope with it. They will be given opportunity to understand better how to use measures of primary prevention in planing and creation of good working environment and in communication and relations. Information is given on secundary prevention i.e. how to detect vulnerability factors, evaluating causes and high-risk situations and how to recognize the need for professional consultation. Some modules of the program will deal with communication, personality and relations. Other parts will adress carrier planing, gender issues, management of the balance between work and home and building supportive social and occupational relationships.

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