[Emerging aspects of occupational stress]

Work stress is caused by excessive demands which foster individuals to give prompt cognitive and behavioral answers. When these solicitations exceed the possibilities of the subject to comply, non-physiological reactions may follow, including emotional, neurovegetative and behavioral changes. If adverse stimuli persist, transient alterations form syndromes such as depression, phobic syndromes, anxiety syndromes, hypertension, heart disease, eating disorders, drug addiction, and so on. The authors examine specific stressful working areas causing illnesses in workers such as the burnout syndrome and the mobbing-related adjustment disorder or the post-traumatic stress disorder.