Expanding Health Educators' Roles to Meet Critical Needs in Stress Management and Mental Health

Stress and stress-related mental disorders in the United States are widespread, costly, and largely preventable. This article describes the association between stress and maladaptive coping and stress-related mental disorders, the severity of the problems due to stress and stress-related mental disorders, and the need for primary preventive efforts which teach coping skills. It is asserted that health educators are uniquely situated to provide such preventive efforts, and are critically needed. Finally, specific recommendations are given for providing cognitive-behavioral coping skills training and providing critically needed information to consumers regarding the recognition and treatment of stress-related mental disorders.