The Anxiety Answer Book

259 Pages·2005·1.63 MB·English

by  Laurie Helgoe Ph.D.

Copyright © 2005 by Laurie Helgoe, Laura Wilhelm, and Martin Kommor
Cover and internal design © 2005 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover photo © Getty Images
Author photo credits: Laurie A. Helgoe: Steve Payne; Laura R. Wilhelm: Rick
Lee; Martin J.
Kommor: Lynette Lee
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Helgoe, Laurie A.
The anxiety answer book / Laurie A. Helgoe, Laura R. Wilhelm,
Martin J. Kommor.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Anxiety--Popular works. 2. Anxiety--Treatment--Popular
works. 3. Panic attacks-Popular works. I. Wilhelm, Laura R. II.
Kommor, Martin J. III. Title.
RC531.H44 2006
616.85'22--dc22
2005012506
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
VP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
For Barron, Bjorn, and Josh, who keep me grounded and help me soar.
—L. H.
To my family—my husband Ed, my parents Yvonne and Bob, and my sister and
brother-in-law Lisa and Weston. I love you all and feel so blessed to have you in
my life. Thank you for everything you have given me.
—L.W.
To Ben Kommor, who instructs and inspires me in the tender art of fatherhood.
—M. K.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to our editor, Bethany Brown, for her help, patience, and
dedication to quality Gratitude always to Jacky Sach, my agent. And thanks to
my friends from The Writer's Village—my lifeline through the ups and downs of
writing. Special thanks to my dear friends, Beth, Mimi, and Cindy, and my
sisters, Julie and Becca, for just making life better.
—Laurie A. Helgoe
My deepest thanks are extended to the following individuals for their
excellent teaching, mentorship, and support: Robert Beck, PhD, Thomas Ellis,
PsyD, ABPP, Chris France, PhD, John Linton, PhD, ABPP, and Holly Cloonan,
PhD. I also feel very privileged and grateful to have received training at the
Albert Ellis Institute and the Beck Institute—the education, staff, fellow trainees,
and overall experiences at each of these establishments were amazing.
Additional heartfelt thanks to Shannon Froese, PhD, Natalie Shaheen, MD, Liz
Moore, MA, Richard Granese, MD, and Esther Stephenson—your friendship
always means so much to me, but your help with looking over book drafts was
particularly appreciated!
—Laura R. Wilhelm
Many thanks to Laurie A. Helgoe, PhD, and Laura R. Wilhelm, PhD.
—Martin J. Kommor
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Anxiety Basics
Chapter 2: What About Stress?
Chapter 3: Treating Anxiety with Psychotherapy
Chapter 4: Treating Anxiety with Medications
Chapter 5: Worries About Worry
Chapter 6: Understanding Panic Attacks
Chapter 7: Coping with Panic
Chapter 8: Understanding Phobias
Chapter 9: More on Specific Phobias
Chapter 10: More on Social Phobia
Chapter 11: Understanding Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder
Chapter 12: Treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Chapter 13: Understanding Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Chapter 14: Common PTSD Reactions
Chapter 15: Anxiety and Life Challenges
Chapter 16: Calming Your Anxiety
Appendix A: Self-help Tools
Appendix B: Resources
Index
Introduction
ANXIETY: THE ALARMING
EMOTION
An alarm is sounding in your body. You feel as if danger is at hand, yet no one is
chasing you, and no disaster threatens your safety. You may be worrying about
something specific, or just feel concerned for no apparent reason. Either way,
you know that the alarm is out of proportion with your present situation.
Knowing this does not help. You are anxious.
If you suffer from anxiety, or live with someone who does, you are aware of
the trouble it can cause. The anxious person feels pressed. It's hard to think
clearly. She feels the need to respond, but her responses help only temporarily, if
at all. She might feel yelled at from inside. Family members get tired of
reassuring her, and she gets tired of trying to explain feelings she may not even
understand.
Anxiety is the most common mental health complaint, and all of us have felt
in its clutches at some point in our lives. Some anxiety is healthy and necessary
to keep us alive; too much anxiety, however, can interfere with living well.
Fortunately, we have learned a great deal about anxiety—about what makes it
worse and what makes it better. The Anxiety Answer Book pulls this information
together in an easy question-and-answer format, providing tools to help you
reduce your anxiety and enjoy your life more.