Stress is emerging fast as one of the most dangerous public health threats of modern life, quietly damaging mental health, straining families and draining productivity at home and at work.

That warning came from renowned clinical psychologist and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Ghana School of Nursing and Midwifery, Dr Dora Awuah, at the Accra launch of her new book, Breaking the Cycle of Stress.

Addressing academics, health professionals and guests, Dr Awuah described stress as one of the defining health emergencies of the age and said society continues to underestimate its reach and destructive force.

“Stress is no longer a private inconvenience,” she said. “It is an epidemic affecting children, adolescents and adults alike.”

Drawing on years of clinical practice and research, she said stress in small doses can sometimes sharpen focus or push people through demanding moments, but when it becomes prolonged, it steadily wears down both body and mind.

She linked chronic stress to hypertension, diabetes, weakened immunity and some forms of cancer and said it also plays a major role in depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions.

However, she noted, the damage is not confined to hospitals and consulting rooms; it is unfolding daily in homes, offices and institutions across Ghana.

One of the sharpest interventions of the event came when Dr Awuah turned to what she called “organisational stress” — a corrosive workplace culture that leaves many workers emotionally depleted before the day has properly begun.

“Many employees dread going to work because of fear of harsh treatment from superiors,” she said, arguing that hostile management styles, poor remuneration and unfriendly institutional policies are quietly crushing morale and reducing output.

The remarks struck a chord with many in the audience, especially young professionals grappling with economic uncertainty, punishing commutes and mounting social pressure.

Her seven-chapter book aims not only to diagnose the problem but also to offer readers practical ways to confront it. Written in accessible language, Breaking the Cycle of Stress blends psychological theory, personal experience and clinical observation to help readers recognise dangerous stress patterns before they harden into chronic illness.

Among the strategies she recommends are regular exercise, positive thinking, emotional resilience and stronger social support systems.

Dr Awuah also drew attention to the often-overlooked effect of stress on intimate relationships and fertility, saying unmanaged emotional pressure can weaken libido, strain marriages and contribute to difficulties with conception.

“Peace of mind and intentional stress management are essential,” she advised couples struggling with fertility issues.

At the heart of her message was the argument that managing stress begins with a change in perspective.

“The cure for stress lies in the mindset,” she said. “Positive thinking, small daily choices and resilience are the real medicine.”

In a society where mental health is still too often ignored, minimised or misunderstood, Dr Awuah’s message landed with force: stress is not merely an emotional burden, but a silent destroyer of lives, relationships and national productivity.

Unless individuals, employers and policymakers begin treating it as a serious public health issue, she warned, the social and economic price of stress will keep rising — and the nation will continue to pay for a crisis it can no longer afford to ignore.

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