What You Must Think of Me: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Social Anxiety Disorder (Adolescent Mental Health Initiative) (Hardcover)

by Emily Ford (Author), Michael Liebowitz (Author), Linda Wasmer Andrews (Author)
Key Phrases: people with social anxiety disorder, Long Road Filled With Potholes, Five Days That Changed My Life, Moving From Dis-ease (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A professor of clinical psychiatry and a woman whose life has been adversely impacted by social anxiety disorder provide a unique view of the condition and its treatment in this slim volume. Leibowitz, who researched the disorder prior to its becoming officially recognized in the 1980s, lends scientific heft to co-author Ford's personal experiences with social anxiety disorder (defined as "the extreme fear of social situations that involve unfamiliar people or the possibility of scrutiny by others"). Ford is honest if a bit simplistic in relating her struggles, which began in adolescence. Prior to her diagnosis, Ford struggled with drinking, severe eating disorders and pulling out clumps of her hair. "By hitting my lowest point, I had found the will to start fighting for life," she writes. Ford found a psychotherapist who introduced her to cognitive-behavioral therapy, whose treatment pulled her from her slump. Readers will find helpful charts throughout the book and an appendix loaded with further reading and contact information for advocacy groups. Thanks to its informative guide to diagnosis, suggestions for treatment and tips on dealing with the health care system, this is a must read for anyone who suffers from the disorder.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"With warmth, candor and insight, this highly gifted young writer shares her personal struggle with a serious yet treatable disorder that is often misdiagnosed and grossly misunderstood. Emily takes the reader along on her courageous journey toward recovery, while offering solid information, help and hope to individuals suffering from social anxiety disorder, as well as to family members and friends who want to help."--Jerilyn Ross, MA, LICSW, Director, The Ross Center for Anxiety & Related Disorders, Washington, DC, and author of Triumph Over Fear
"Ford bravely offers an accurate account of the frustrations of Social Anxiety Disorder, and the paths to treatment, including how to navigate the difficulties of the mental health system, how to identify an expert in SAD, and how to make the most of the therapeutic experience. This will be an excellent resource for adolescents, young adults, and their parents."--Dean McKay, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychology, Fordham University
"For anyone who has shouldered the enormous burden of social anxiety disorder, What You Must Think of Me will be a valuable resource. Emily Ford gives her readers a rare glimpse into the tortured world of a young person struggling with SAD-the isolation, the depression, and her eventual triumph over this devastating illness. Her story is one of hope, humor, and an incredible will to survive, and will both inspire and educate readers who will recognize their own struggles within these pages."--Jamie Blyth, author of Fear is No Longer My Reality: How I Overcame Panic and Social Anxiety Disorder- and You Can Too


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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (July 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019531302X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195313024
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #432,396 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare glimpse into the tortured world of a young person struggling with social anxiety disorder, April 17, 2008

By	Stephen Pletko "Uncle Stevie" (London, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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"As a child, Emily was incomparable, unusual, even precocious. At age four she was writing little poems and stories, enjoying music, art, and a myriad of creative pastimes. The breadth of her imagination along with her joie de vivre was a charming combination. Then in her teens, Emily became increasingly self-conscious. Immediate post-college days marked the beginning of her deep depression...During this time she frequently slept by day and was up all night...Emily withdrew socially; personal reactions became rare. Anxiety plagued her to the point of refusing to talk on the phone...Her eating habits became bizarre..."

The above is part of a letter written by the mother of the main author of this fascinating book, Emily Ford (with professor of clinical psychology, Dr. Michael Liebowitz and freelance health & psychology writer Linda Andrews).

This book in a nutshell has Ford sharing her personal struggle with the serious yet treatable disorder called social anxiety disorder (SAD), also called social phobia. She takes the reader along on her incredible and courageous journey of successfully coping with this disorder, while providing useful information, help, and hope to others also suffering from it (about 15 million Americans suffer from SAD), as well as to family members and friends who want to help. It is also an excellent book for those like me (one of my degrees is a psychology degree) who want to understand this disorder from the perspective of a person who has been challenged by it.

What is social anxiety disorder (SAD)? It is an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is a vague, unpleasant, emotional state with qualities of apprehension, dread, distress, and uneasiness. An anxiety disorder is a cover term for a variety of maladaptive syndromes which have severe anxiety as the dominant disturbance. SAD is "an anxiety disorder characterized by marked fear in social situations that involve being around unfamiliar people or the possibility of scrutiny by others." (Note that SAD is "substantially different" from shyness.)

Ford's chronicling of coping with SAD is in a word: superb. She tells her story with insight and warmth.

A major highlight of this book is that key points from the main narrative are isolated (in handwritten script), thus allowing the reader to have important information at his/her fingertips. To give the reader a "feel" for the book, I will give one example of these key points from each section (preface and chapters) of the book:

Preface: "The bravest thing I've ever done was to reach out and actively seek the assistance I desperately wanted and knew I needed."
(1) "I believed everyone around me was exchanging subtle signs and singles, conveying to one another that for any of a number of reasons, I was out of place."
(2) "Unless I knew I was going to be very good at something, I didn't do it at all."
(3) "Allowed to grow freely, untested by real-world experiences, my fears quickly mushroomed out of control."
(4) "Some new outfits and a change of scenery didn't magically transform me into the confident, outgoing person I wanted to be."
(5) "Medication may work faster than [therapy], but therapy may have more durable effects after treatment is stopped."
(6) "It takes great courage to force yourself to face your fears."
(7) "The confidence I gained by facing smaller challenges strengthened my belief that I could succeed."
(8) "Social anxiety disorder is just one of the many characteristics that make me the unique person I am."

After the main narrative is completed, there is helpful material at the end of the book. First, there is a section called "Frequently Asked Questions." It is composed of 14 important questions regarding social anxiety disorder with complete answers given. Second, there is a glossary of terms that are defined for the reader. The definition of social anxiety disorder given above was taken from this glossary. Finally, there is a resource list provided not only for social anxiety disorder but for other disorders as well.

Finally, I only had one problem with this book. Although the author does a good job on informing the reader of the variety of medications (that is, prescribed drugs) available to aid therapy, I feel she does not convey the many problems associated with them. For example, there is a chart given that lists the prescribed drugs for social anxiety disorder. No where on this chart are the dangerous side effects given.

The fact is prescribed drugs are not candies. They have to be treated with caution. Thus, if prescribed drugs must be given, they ideally should be carefully monitored by the therapist prescribing them and given only for the short term (3 to 6 months).

In conclusion, this is a rare book written by a person trying to cope with social anxiety disorder. I leave you with the conclusion of the mother's letter that I began above:

"Remarkably, Emily has abandoned her dark despair and re-emerged into the radiance of self-delight and that of the world around her...Through...therapy and medication Emily has become a `new' person, ironically by becoming her `old' self. Once again, Emily has embraced the validity of her emotions, her uniqueness, and her interest in the lives of others."

(first published 2007; forward; preface; 8 chapters; main narrative 120 pages; frequently asked questions; glossary; resources; bibliography; index)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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