A closer look at clinical anxiety • “Filled with intriguing bits of information . . . keeps readers turning the pages.”—The New York Times

For more than one hundred years, philosophers, theologians, and psychologists have puzzled over the meaning of anxiety, and marveled at its powerful psychological effects. Great thinkers like Freud, Kierkegaard, Sartre, and Rollo May put it at the heart of human experience.

More than thirteen million Americans suffer from clinically defined anxiety. Disorders like panic attacks, agoraphobia, obsessive compulsive behavior, and post-traumatic disorder can have a devastating effect on their lives.
 
With a raconteur’s flair, Dr. Donald Goodwin has drawn on literary, historical, medical, and scientificc sources to construct a clear, authoritative, and witty account of the causes, diagnoses, and treatment of anxiety and phobias. His book includes fascinating histories of famous cases and experiments which led to extraordinary discoveries how the brain works, close-up looks at the causes and symptoms of specific disorders, and a history of the recent dramatic developments in treatment—making this is a complete assessment of this elusive and sometimes frightening condition.