The Good News About Panic, Anxiety and Phobias (Paperback)

by Mark S. Gold (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
Anxiety. Whether it manifests itself in panic attacks, phobias, or chronic worry, it's the number-one mental health disorder in America today. But for the twenty to thirty million people whose lives are being disrupted and destroyed by crippling fear, there is new hope. In The Good News About Panic, Anxiety, And Phobias, renowned medical authority Mark. S. Gold, M.D., author of the landmark book The Good News About Depression, explores the emerging science of biopsychiatry and the latest breakthrough in the diagnosis and treatment of these devastating disorders.

Discover:

How many physical diseases mimic the symptoms of anxiety--which often leads to misdiagnosis.

Why traditional methods of psychoanalytic treatment may be more harm than good.

The most effective drugs available as well their uses, dosages, and side effects.

Self-help strategies for dealing with anxiety, from relaxation techniques to behavior therapy.

The effects of over-the-counter prescriptions, caffeine, drugs, alcohol, and exercise on anxiety levels.

Also includes a state-by-state listing of experts you can contact for further information.

Product Details

• Paperback: 323 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; Reprint edition (July 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553349163
• ISBN-13: 978-0553349160
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,742,397 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helped me when professionals could not, August 18, 2001

By A Customer

This inexpensive book answered my questions on panic disorder that hundreds of dollars of psychotherapy time could not. It is a pleasure to read and helped me so much back in '94. His emphasis on behavioral therapy is very helpful. I wish this were still in print. I donated my copy to the library as I only suffer panic when I don't live right.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Book is 10 years old, but good primer, misses recent drugs., November 26, 1999

By	tmaioli "Tom" (New York) - See all my reviews

My review of the book The Good news about panic, anxiety, and phobias by Mark Gold. I found this book easy to read and covers a broad range of anxiety disorders. Right from the start though I was wishing for the "good news". Of course the good news is that anxiety disorders are the number one mental health problem among women and are second only to drug and alcohol abuse among men. I wish it gave the good news earlier in the book as it takes some reading to discover this news. He points out that its not your fault and that your condition can be treated and in many cases cured. Even if you haven't responded to treatment in the past don't despair, In reality, its not the patient that fails the treatment but the treatment that fails the patient.

On one page he supplies a checklist of anxiety symptoms, he states that most panic and anxiety have physical causes. Then goes on a soapbox on the shortcomings of psychiatrist in the diagnosing of anxiety. When we get to page 35 we begin a definition of the terms used in the book:

PA - Panic Attack Phobias GAD - Generalized Anxiety Disorders OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder AD - Adjustment Disorder

When we get to chapter 6 we finally start getting into possible physical causes that can present symptoms similar to those of anxiety.

The book has a listing of state-by-state experts and sources and bibliography although again most of the works seem to be from the 80's so more recent data should be available. If you need to come up to speed its not a bad book but if you need a more in depth discussion this is probably not the book for you. That along with it being 10 years old make it a ok book if you find it discounted, but you could probably find more recent data for the same buck.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is essential reading if you have panic disorder, November 21, 1997

By A Customer

Mark S. Gold, an authority on biological psychiatry, has produced a readable, scientifically well supported book that should be of great help to people with anxiety disorders. Unlike the great majority of books on this topic, everything in it makes good common sense and good scientific sense. It also gives desperately needed information on effective medications and dosages, which allows sufferers to take charge of their own illness and its treatment.