Anxiety disorders don't discriminate. As Wall Street Journal science and health reporter Andrea Petersen learned as a student in college, the debilitating fears that paralyze about 40 million adults in the United States, and the racing heart and strangled breaths of panic attacks, don't care about socio-economic status, race or sexual orientation. While women are more likely to suffer from the disorder ("There is no greater risk factor for anxiety disorders than being born female"), men are vulnerable to it as well. Even the young aren't safe from anxiety; in fact, the rate of diagnosis among college students is on a startling rise.
In On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety, Petersen shares her experiences battling panic attacks and fears as she explains the biological and psychological research underlying current treatments of the 11 anxiety disorders recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). For more than two decades, Petersen has tried many of the therapies she highlights in the book, both drug- and nondrug-related. In plain English, she explains data, scientific rationale and overall success rates, and then includes her personal reactions to them. Petersen has tried a wide array of yoga, including Kundalini yoga, which she describes as "a yoga rave." She was traumatized by acupuncture but fared much better with meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy. She's most often combined these treatments with medication, cycling through various types over the years. She illuminates their pros and cons, with a special focus on those safest to use while pregnant. In addition, Petersen demonstrates that "anxiety disorders almost certainly have multiple causes--from genetics to childhood trauma to how your parents interact with you." This comprehensive and accessible approach to the topic provides a clear understanding of a murky yet widespread problem.
Readers who, like Petersen, deal with the daily struggles of anxiety--and recognize that there is no cure--will find both similarities and differences between their experiences and Petersen's. The disorder encompasses a wide spectrum of symptoms and is closely tied to other afflictions, such as depression. But despite divergences, those who can identify with any of the evils of anxiety will discover solid research that offers options, understanding and hope. They'll even find some humor. On Edge can even help those who are fortunate enough to elude the irrational fears of anxiety. Petersen quotes Harvard Medical School professor of psychiatry Jordan Smoller: "People underrecognize the toll that [anxiety] takes on people's lives." For those with a family member, friend or employee who is battling with this invisible demon, On Edge can shed light down the dark cavern and help them support their loved ones when "uncertainty far too easily morphs into inescapable catastrophe." --Jen Forbus, freelancer
Shelf Talker: A Wall Street Journal science and health reporter takes readers inside the world of anxiety disorders using the most current scientific research and her own journey to a healthy life.