Abstract
This is a good book. In a market where there is a surfeit of books on anxiety disorders, this one is refreshingly different, largely because it has been written by one person and this lends a uniformity of style, structure and content. It makes it easy to negotiate and consistent. There is also very little overlap between chapters and little redundancy overall.
The book tackles the anxiety disorders using a familiar framework, i.e. panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. The author does, however, in the introduction bring Occam's razor to bear on both the predominant classificatory systems, namely the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) of the World Health Organization. This provides a useful introduction along with an opportunity to look at ‘dilemmas’ about the specific anxiety disorders as currently classified.
Each chapter of the book is structured in a consistent manner with clinical features followed by the relationship with other psychiatric disorders, epidemiology, course and prognosis, aetiology and pathogenesis, biological models, psychological models and treatment encompassing both pharmacological and psychological. This is not merely a parroting of the existing texts on these important topic areas and the author brings his own personal clinical experience and expertise to bear on the interpretation of the published literature. Specific consideration is given to issues such as the ways in which disorders overlap and interact with each other, the ways in which genetic and environmental interactions occur, the way in which cognitive and psychodynamic models can be integrated, and how various risk factors might impact upon personality as well as at various developmental stages of the individual. The indications for pharmacological and/or psychosocial treatments are well articulated, and consideration is given to combinations of treatments and clinical pointers given as to where such an approach might be useful. Areas not specifically covered include anxiety in children and older adults. Perhaps more consideration could also have been given to the overlap of anxiety and substance use disorders, as this comorbidity is a clinically common scenario, and one which requires careful management.
Overall then, this is a book which I initially approached with wariness, being aware that this is already a very crowded market, but with which I ended up being extremely pleasantly surprised at its breadth, scope and structure that encompasses both research and clinical practice in a concise volume. It is the sort of book to have on the shelf for ready reference, secure in the knowledge that the content is sound, and the clinical suggestions sage.