Book Review: The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook

This book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Overcoming Fear. Fear is a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger. Larry Crane is the Official Guide to Overcoming Fear. The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, by Edmund J. Bourne, is a valuable resource for people interested in Fear of Anxiety and it is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Since its first edition in 1990, The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook has sold more than 600,000 copies. Its engaging exercises and worksheets have helped millions of readers make real progress in overcoming problems with anxiety and phobic disorders. The Authoritative Guide to Self-Help Resources in Mental Health (Norcross, et al., 2003) gave the book its highest rating and praised it as "a highly regarded and widely known resource." Thousands of mental health and medical professionals recommend this book to their clients and patients every year. Simply put, it is the single finest source of self-help information on its topic available anywhere.

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The text of this edition has been fully revised and expanded and includes two new chapters: a discussion of physical conditions that can aggravate anxiety and an overview of the use of mindfulness practice in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder and some forms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. As in previous editions, the book offers the most up-to-date information on medications, natural supplements, and complementary strategies that can alleviate anxiety symptoms. The sections on relaxation, nutrition, and exercise have all been updated and broadened.

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This book excels not only in explaining the cause and nature of anxiety disorders and phobias but also in describing treatments. Director of the Anxiety Treatment Center in Santa Rosa (California), Bourne emphasizes the cognitive-behavioral model of treatment but includes information on biopsychiatry, intense psychotherapy, and spirituality as additional treatment modalities. This is truly a "workbook," with exercises designed to facilitate recovery, either through private use or in conjunction with professional therapy. If your library already owns the 1990 edition and money is an object, you can probably pass on this revision, which updates the definitions of anxiety and phobia so that they conform with the new DSM-IV diagnostic criteria and includes new information on the biological causes of anxiety and related treatment developments. However, if your collection lacks a good lay reader's book on anxiety and phobia, this is an excellent choice.Jennifer Amador, Central State Hosp. Medical Lib., Petersburg, Va.

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Edmund J. Bourne, Ph.D., has specialized in the treatment of anxiety disorders and related problems for two decades. For many years, he was director of the Anxiety Treatment Center in San Jose and Santa Rosa, CA. His bestselling anxiety workbooks, which have helped hundreds of thousands of readers throughout the world, include The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, Beyond Anxiety and Phobia, Coping with Anxiety, and Natural Relief for Anxiety. He lives in Larkspur, CA.