Painfully Shy: How to Overcome Social Anxiety and Reclaim Your Life (Hardcover)

~ Gregory P. Markway (Author) "When I first met Gina and asked what brought her to see me, she looked toward the floor and started crying..." (more)
Key Phrases: social anxiety disorder, people with social anxiety, applied relaxation training, The Stress Factor, Things You Can Do When You're (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Social anxiety disorder goes well beyond simple shyness and can be emotionally crippling to its sufferers. Its victims find even the most informal and routine social situations threatening, and more formal events such as speeches and parties can trigger severe bouts of debilitating anxiety. Some 17 million Americans suffer from social anxiety disorder, and for every one that is diagnosed and receives help, there are probably a half dozen more who suffer in silence. This book is an excellent resource for those who suffer from this disorder, those who love them, and those who treat them. The authors start with the symptoms and some of the possible causes. Most important, they offer methods for treating the disorder, including self-treatment options. Case histories present people from a wide variety of backgrounds who have social anxiety disorder. Appendixes include help from parents of children with this disorder and other resources. An important book that addresses a topic that has received too little coverage. Marlene Chamberlain
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Reading this book is like having live therapy sessions with an expert on social phobia...Painfully Shy goes beyond showing us how to confront and deal effectively with our social phobia. It also gives us the tools to accept ourselves in the process." --Eric Joffe, Alliance for People with Social Phobia

"This is a highly readable book about the varied forms of social anxiety and its treatment...packed with practical tools to help readers overcome their fears." --Jerilyn Ross, M.A., L.I.C.S.W., author of Triumph Over Fear
-- Review

"Some 17 million Americans suffer from social anxiety disorder...This book is an excellent resource for those who suffer from this disorder, those who love them, and those who treat them...An important book that addresses a topic that has received too little coverage." -- Booklist

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (April 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312266286
• ISBN-13: 978-0312266288
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #831,508 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, May 30, 2006

By	Zeta Sloan (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Painfully Shy: How to Overcome Social Anxiety and Reclaim Your Life (Paperback)

As someone suffering from social anxiety disorder, this book was extremely disappointing. It focuses almost entirely on what causes anxiety and the "suggestions" are not helpful at all. I felt as though all this book did was explain to me what it felt like to have this phobia. If you are looking to research the disorder, it would be a great book. If you are looking for help in battling social anxiety this book will be of no use to you, as I am guessing you already know what it feels like.

77 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Up-to-date, practical information., October 21, 2001

By	Adam Khan (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A tremendous amount of research has been done on anxiety disorders in the last fifteen years. Researchers have discovered a lot about what causes it and what can be done about it, and in this book you'll find the latest information.

Social anxiety disorder is most common anxiety disorder and the third most common psychiatric disorder over all (behind depression and alcoholism). If it's so common, why haven't we heard much about it? Because the nature of the problem keeps it hidden. "Can you see a movie-of-the-week," says psychologist Thomas Richards, "about a very shy person who rarely leaves the house except to go to work, who has no friends, and is afraid of answering the door at times?" Who would watch a movie like that? The authors of Painfully Shy said that after their first book (Dying of Embarrassment) was published, a television talk show called them and said, "We want you on our show if you can bring several articulate, outgoing social phobics with you." What the heck were they thinking? Social anxiety disorder doesn't get much coverage because anyone with the problem is trying to avoid the public eye.

But this book brings social anxiety into the light. Anxious thoughts and feelings CAN be managed successfully, and this book will show you how. I'm the author of the book, Self-Help Stuff That Works, and if you want practical, helpful advice that will really work to overcome your shyness, I highly recommend Painfully Shy.

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good primer for application of CBT to social anxiety, June 9, 2001

By	Dr. Signe A. Dayhoff "Social Effectiveness Gu... (New Mexico USA) - See all my reviews

"Painfully Shy" succinctly covers all the basics of dealing with chronic shyness and social anxiety and does so with compassion and understanding in a reader-friendly style. Through ongoing case histories it demonstrates assessment and treatment possibilities. Furthermore, it has appendices containing useful resources for both adults and children. It might have been useful, however, for the book to have provided readers with in-depth applications of these techniques and principles in specific social areas that shy and socially anxious people often report as important. These include meeting people, dating, making an impression, giving reports, using the telephone, handling meetings, surviving job interviews, and "coming out" about their condition. Research has shown that frequently sufferers also need social-effectiveness skills training in order to recovery more quickly and satisfactorily. Overall, readers will find this book well-done, interesting to read, with useful information and helpful strategies.