On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety

Author: Petersen, Andrea

Features:

• CROWN

Number Of Pages: 320

Details:

A celebrated science and health reporter offers a wry, bracingly honest account of living with anxiety.   A racing heart. Difficulty breathing. Overwhelming dread. Andrea Petersen was first diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at the age of twenty, but she later realized that she had been experiencing panic attacks since childhood. With time her symptoms multiplied. She agonized over every odd physical sensation. She developed fears of driving on highways, going to movie theaters, even licking envelopes. Although having a name for her condition was an enormous relief, it was only the beginning of a journey to understand and master it—one that took her from psychiatrists’ offices to yoga retreats to the Appalachian Trail.   Woven into Petersen’s personal story is a fascinating look at the biology of anxiety and the groundbreaking research that might point the way to new treatments. She compares psychoactive drugs to non-drug treatments, including biofeedback and exposure therapy. And she explores the role that genetics and the environment play in mental illness, visiting top neuroscientists and tracing her family history—from her grandmother, who, plagued by paranoia, once tried to burn down her own house, to her young daughter, in whom Petersen sees shades of herself.   Brave and empowering, this is essential reading for anyone who knows what it means to live on edge.

Reviews:

“Petersen writes in vivid, memorable detail about what it’s like to experience acute anxiety… Books like [hers] offer insight and hope.”

— NPR

“Revelatory... By chronicling her own experiences with a variety of therapeutic interventions and coping mechanisms, [Petersen] sheds light on the circuitous route those with anxiety disorder travel... [Her] account is enlightening and informative.”

— Booklist

“Petersen's thoughtful and encouraging treatise on living and thriving despite these disorders will be helpful reading for many, and her honesty opens a much-needed doorway onto a significant health problem that is often underreported but on the rise. [ On Edge offers] sensitive and frank personal views on anxiety backed by substantial research and analysis of the evolution of treatment methods and drugs to alleviate symptoms.” —Kirkus Reviews 

“Deft and affecting, heartbreaking and fascinating,  On Edge completely captures what it feels like to live with anxiety.” —Bustle

“Petersen, a veteran  Wall Street Journal writer covering health and psychology, deftly intercuts her own narrative with wide-angle reporting, tracing a checkered history of treatments (‘pelvic massage’ helped pave the way for early vibrators) as well as leading-edge research on genetics and neurofeedback.” —Vogue.com

“A compelling read; it’s personally relatable to those who have had similar experiences, highly informative on an emotional and factual level to those who have not. (And, for a book about such a serious subject, it has plenty of light moments.)” —Jezebel

“An honest memoir of [Petersen’s] 15-plus years of struggle with an anxiety disorder…Required reading for anyone working with those who have the disorder.” —Library Journal

“To better understand anxiety as a public crisis from a private voice, read Petersen’s On Edge.” —Yale Daily News

“In On Edge, Andrea Petersen paints a vivid picture of how anxiety has affected her work, romantic relationships, and experience as a parent. We see not only the ways in which her anxiety has held her back, but also how it has led her to live a richer, more authentic life. This brave, hopeful, sensitive account, grounded in the latest neuroscience, will be both enlightening and comforting to the millions who struggle with anxiety.”

— SUSAN CAIN, author of

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking“With a clever mix of science and story, Petersen reveals her search for the roots of her life-long struggle with anxiety. On Edge is both moving and informative, and recommended ...

EAN: 9780553418576

Release Date: 16-05-2017

Languages: english

Item Note: Great shape- pages are unmarked and sharp.Has a remainder mark. Hardcover Used - Like New Ships fast! 2017

Item Condition: UsedLikeNew

Binding: Hardcover