A Study of Stress Diagnosis Support System by Finger Plethysmogram Measurement

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of patients suffering from mood disorders such as manic depression, reaching 1.04 million in 2008. In our modern society, with its multitude of stressors that we encounter on a daily basis, we develop a high risk of developing such disorders, which have come to be known as emodern-day illness´. A characteristic of mental disorders is that there is a risk of developing them at the unconscious level, and even if the patient were to detect the condition, they are difficult to treat. Furthermore, while there are tests that evaluate the level of stress, these tests still have many elements that are arbitrary and subjective between the tester and the patient. Therefore, it is extremely important to be able to objectively assess ones stress levels, as well as to raise awareness of and pay attention to internal signals in order to control the level of risk, and in cases where that risk is found to be high, to create a mechanism which provides medical help. Thus, this study aims to visualize the internal signals through the finger plethysmogram which is affected by stress, develop a system to provide assistance in returning stress to normal levels, and assisting in helping patients manage their own risk levels.