BOOK OF ANGST: Understand and Manage Anxiety

This useful self-help book demystifies the condition of Anxiety by explaining its different forms, suggesting a wide range of remedies and above all by taking it seriously. Part 1 explains the different types of anxiety and the forms they take, including the well-known Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), hypochondria, panic, phobias, eating disorders, and sexual response anxiety, concluding with the prevalence of anxieties generally in psychiatric disorders. The second part deals with Social Anxiety, a widespread condition that responds well to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Ancient medicine recognised the link between the cognitive and emotional, and this balance is central to the healing possible with CBT. The author notes the modern factors that can exacerbate the condition such as cyberbullying or FOMO (fear of missing out), but also suggests that online interaction can be a positive way of disguising the breathlessness, blushing or stuttering that are symptomatic of social anxiety. The substances sometimes used to alleviate such symptoms do not treat the condition, to which the only answer is therapy. Finally in Section Three she takes the reader through a typical session with a therapist and provides templates for recording feelings and thoughts to start the journey of recovery. Thought distortion, emotional reasoning and expressions such as "should", "must" and "have to" are banished from the vocabulary of healing. 299pp, paperback, numerous line drawings and cartoons.