Customer Reviews

My Anxious Mind: A Teen's Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic

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Psychologists Michael and Katherine have written a truly useful, graceful and appropriate book for all sorts of teenagers. Using the tools of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) without any jargon, they lead teenagers through ten short chapters and many clear exercises to counter fearful anxieties and doubts. Self-help that really works and that is entirely respectful of the experience of teenage boys and girls is combined with explanations of the troubles, physical and mental means of dealing with them, and the help that healthful habits, smart uses of medication and adult support can bring. I've been a therapist for 40 years and almost never recommend books to clients, but I will absolutely be urging this book on anyone suffering from anxiety or whose kids wrestle with these difficult problems.

I just finished reading this book and came away from it eager to write my very first Amazon book review! For a long time, I've been in search of a book that would help me better guide students who are struggling with anxiety and panic. What I didn't expect to find was a book that served that purpose and was at the same time a resource that I could so easily recommend to parents, fellow professionals, and students alike. What makes this such a good resource? First, it puts the young person in charge right from the start-by giving solid information to help them better understand what is going on and by providing them with tried and true techniques for managing their worries on their own. At the same time, there are guidelines all through the book on when and how to get additional help from parents and health-care professionals. The central imagine of a "worry wheel" certainly captures the experiences I hear reported by students in my own practice! The vignettes by teens throughout the book add realism. All in all, this is a most readable, informative, and practical book. And lastly, I adored the illustrations!

I love this book! I am a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist in private practice specializing in anxiety disorders in children, teens and adults. This book is thorough and at the same time simple, making it appealing to teens. It is a great resource for professionals working with teens as well. The thing I like best is the rich use of metaphors. They explain concepts in a way that is easy to understand as well as to remember. For example when outlining common distortions, they talk about "binocular vision" to explain blowing negative things out of proportion and minimizing accomplishments, depending on which end of the binoculars you are looking through. When writing about panic attacks they help the reader understand that they need to change their relationship to anxiety, using the metaphor of riptides in the ocean. If you fight the riptide by desperately swimming to shore you won't do so well. Your chances are better if you float along until the current dies out, just like when you are having a panic attack.
Not only do my children and teen clients benefit from my reading this book, but these concepts and metaphors work great with adults as well.

This book is an absolute gem. I am a psychotherapist who specializes in treating adults and teens with anxiety disorders. I am recommending this book to all of my clients, adults as well as teens, who suffer from anxiety and panic. It is amazingly clear and concise. It takes fairly complex concepts (such as cognitive restructuring and gradual desensitization) and makes them simple and understandable. This treasure of a book gives the reader/sufferer practical, evidence-based strategies for managing anxiety, panic and related phobias. It is "chock full" of important information for anxiety sufferers. Congratulations to Dr's Tompkins and Martinez on creating such a simple, user-friendly book that offers so much.

Thank you Dr.'s Tompkins and Martinez! I have been treating anxious teenage clients and their families for many years and have been waiting for a book like this. You speak to the teens in a very respectful and gentle voice, and you give them usable and effective tools to manage their anxiety and panic. In particular the section on facing fears one step at a time gives much needed guidance regarding how to make progress and how to stick with it when the going gets tough.
As a therapist I am sure I will recomend this book over and over. It speaks to an amazingly common problem, and the solutions offered are usable and efffective.

Michael Tompkins and Katherine Martinez have taken their many years of combined experience working with teens and tranlated them into a book that is concise, informative , and accessible. It is clear the authors know their audience. My Anxious Mind provides teens with a full toolbox of strategies they can use to cope with their anxiety. I highly recommend this book for teens, their parents and psychotherapists who work with adolescents.

A well-written and logical how-to to combat and counter anxiety. Written under the premise that anxiety suffers are not uniquely alone and offers proven steps to ameliorating, if not eliminating, quality of life loss due to irrational anxiety. Overly anxious teens should take comfort from this compassionate and caring book.

I am a psychologist that specializes in treating children, teens, and young adults with anxiety disorders. This book is a much needed resource for any youth who may be struggling with overwhelming anxiety, worry, fear, or panic. Michael Tompkins and Katherine Martinez have done a masterful job creating a book that systematically presents proven strategies in treating anxiety using teen-friendly language.

Great book for the anxious minds. I got it for my 13 year old and it is realy heklping her

For some teens, there is just way too much on the plate. "My Anxious Mind: A Teen's Guide to Managin Anxiety and Panic" is a teen's guide to overcoming anxiety. Anxiety can be the root cause of so many of a teen's problems, and if they can overcome it, it can make a world of difference. "My Anxious Mind" is a worthwhile gift for any teen whose anxiety seems to be controlling their life.