Anxiety Sensitivity: theory, Research, and Treatment of the Fear of Anxiety (Personality and Clinical Psychology Series) [Hardcover]

Steven Taylor (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0805828656 | ISBN-13: 978-0805828658 | Publication Date: January 1, 1999 | Edition: 1

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of anxiety sensations which arises from beliefs that these sensations have harmful somatic, social, or psychological consequences. Over the past decade, AS has attracted a great deal of attention from researchers and clinicians with more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles published. In addition, AS has been the subject of numerous symposia, papers, and posters at professional conventions.

Why this growing interest?
Theory and research suggest that AS plays an important role in the etiology and maintenance of many forms of psychopathology, including anxiety disorders, depression, chronic pain, and substance abuse.

Bringing together experts from a variety of different areas, this volume offers the first comprehensive state-of-the-art review of AS--its conceptual foundations, assessment, causes, consequences, and treatment--and points new directions for future work. It will prove to be an invaluable resource for clinicians, researchers, students, and trainees in all mental health professions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book provides an excellent summary of the research and should be extremely useful to practitioners in particular.
—CHOICE

Probably the most striking feature of this book is the quality of science. It is consistently outstanding. The authors have shown that anxiety sensitivity is a powerful construct for understanding not only anxiety and its disorders, but other disorders such as chemical abuse and chronic pain. Further, several chapters have carefully described how we can improve and extend the construct. Psychopathologists working with any disorder would benefit from reading this book. The chapters provide extremely good evidence of how our understanding of basic psychological processes can improve our understanding, assessment, and treatment of psychopathology. The editors and authors should be complimented for their extraordinary efforts.
—G. Ron Norton, Ph.D.
University of Winnipeg

An excellent book on one of the most interesting and productive areas of anxiety disorders research in the last decade. Steven Taylor is to be congratulated on having put together a group of authors who are real authorities on anxiety sensitivity to provide a clear, concise account of a complex field. It is an absolutely essential book for anyone with an interest in the psychological mechanisms underlying anxiety.
—Richard P. Swinson, M.D., FRCPsych, FRCPC
McMaster University

In the decade or so since the construct of 'anxiety sensitivity' forged its way into the collective conceptual consciousness of clinical scientists working in the area of anxiety, theoretical and empirical work has burgeoned. But many questions remained about the utility and reliability of this construct, as well as its fundamental properties. Now Steve Taylor has assembled the definitive work on this topic that establishes once and for all the centrality of anxiety sensitivity to the study of anxiety and its disorders. Any clinician or clinical scientist working in this area will need to be aware of the exciting advances detailed in this superbly conceptualized and edited book.
—David H. Barlow, Ph.D.
Boston University

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805828656
• ISBN-13: 978-0805828658
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,218,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven Taylor, PhD, ABPP, is a professor and clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada. He received his graduate training at the University of Melbourne and the University of British Columbia. Dr. Taylor is board certified in cognitive and behavioral psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. For 10 years he was Associate Editor of Behaviour Research and Therapy, and is now Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, as well as serving on the editorial boards of several journals such as the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. He has published over 200 scientific journal articles and book chapters, and numerous books on anxiety disorders and related topics. Dr. Taylor served as a consultant on the text revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). Dr. Taylor has received career awards from the Canadian Psychological Association, the British Columbia Psychological Association, the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, and the Anxiety Disorders Association of America. He is a Fellow of several scholarly organizations including the Canadian Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. His research interests include cognitive-behavioral treatments and mechanisms of anxiety disorders and related conditions, as well as the behavioral-genetics of these disorders. His research has been funded by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He currently lives in Vancouver.