This early 1960s film was made by the Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company who, quite subtly, was selling their anxiety and stress reduction drugs, which were new at the time. The film was shown to patients in doctors offices among other venues.

In the early 1960s the approach to treating anxiety and stress included a mix of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. During this time there was a significant evolution in the pharmaceutical treatment of anxiety, marked by the introduction of benzodiazepines, which rapidly became the treatment of choice for anxiety disorders.

Psychotherapy was also a common approach to treating anxiety and stress, with psychoanalysis and other forms of talk therapy being popular. These methods focused on uncovering underlying psychological causes of anxiety and working through them over time. Cognitive and behavioral therapies, while in their infancy, were starting to gain recognition for their effectiveness in treating certain types of anxiety disorders.

Prior to the 1960s, the pharmacological treatment of anxiety was limited. Barbiturates were used but they had a high risk of dependence and overdose. The introduction of benzodiazepines at the time that this film was made, in the early 1960s, marked a significant advancement in the treatment of anxiety and stress.

The first benzodiazepine, Librium was introduced in 1960, followed by Valium in 1963. These drugs were hailed as a safer alternative to barbiturates due to their increased therapeutic index (wider margin between the effective dose and the toxic dose) and lower risk of dependence compared to barbiturates, although with time, the potential for dependence and withdrawal associated with long-term benzodiazepine use became more apparent.

Pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer played a significant role in the development and promotion of benzodiazepines. They marketed these drugs aggressively to physicians and the public, highlighting their safety and efficacy for the treatment of anxiety and stress. This led to widespread use and, in some cases, overuse and dependence issues that were recognized later.

The treatment of anxiety and stress in the early 1960s was also influenced by societal attitudes towards mental health. There was not much understanding and acceptance of mental health issues and treatments were often sought only in more severe cases. The availability of benzodiazepines contributed to a shift in how society viewed and treated anxiety, making pharmacological treatment more common and accessible.

One of the most notable contributions of Pfizer in this area was the development of Zoloft which is not a benzodiazepine but an antidepressant of the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. Introduced in the late 1980s and approved by the FDA in 1991, Zoloft is used to treat a variety of conditions, including depression, anxiety disorders (such as panic disorder and social anxiety disorder), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The introduction of SSRIs like Zoloft marked a significant evolution in the pharmacological treatment of anxiety and stress, providing an alternative to benzodiazepines with a different side effect profile and lower potential for dependence.

In general the pharmaceutical industry's approach to treating anxiety and stress has evolved with a significant focus on understanding the underlying mechanisms of these conditions and developing drugs that target specific neurotransmitter systems with greater precision. Pfizer, among other pharmaceutical companies, continues to invest in research and development to find new and improved treatments for anxiety, stress, and other mental health conditions, reflecting the ongoing need for effective and safe medications.