Anxiety Disorders & Phobias

by Aaron T. Beck

Here is the long-awaited book that is the first to present a comprehensive cognitive model for understanding and treating anxiety disorders and phobias. "This important book lays the groundwork for cognitive therapy of phobias and a nxiety disorders and offers promise for significant advances in therapeutics".--Gerald L. Klerman, Harvard Medical School. "Indispensable reading for students and experienced practitioners alike".--Hans H. Strupp, Vanderbilt University. Notes, Appendixes and Index.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help, Reference, Science, Health, Counselling

366 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Aaron Temkin Beck was an American psychiatrist who was a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. He is regarded as the father of cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). His pioneering methods are widely used in the treatment of clinical depression and various anxiety disorders. Beck also developed self-report measures for depression and anxiety, notably the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), which became one of the most widely used instruments for measuring the severity of depression. In 1994 he and his daughter, psychologist Judith S. Beck, founded the nonprofit Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, which provides CBT treatment and training, as well as research. Beck served as President Emeritus of the organization up until his death.
Beck was noted for his writings on psychotherapy, psychopathology, suicide, and psychometrics. He published more than 600 professional journal articles, and authored or co-authored 25 books. He was named one of the "Americans in history who shaped the face of American psychiatry", and one of the "five most influential psychotherapists of all time" by The American Psychologist in July 1989. His work at the University of Pennsylvania inspired Martin E.P. Seligman to refine his own cognitive techniques and later work on learned helplessness.

Reviews

[Cory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to supplement my therapy for generalized anxiety disorder, and ended up getting quite a bit of valuable information out of it, even if it isn't the most up-to-date source on best practices in treating GAD and other anxiety disorders. It is very dense and at times inaccessible to the general public (mostly in part two), but the majority is rich in relatable information that can be valuable to sufferers of anxiety to put words to their feelings. I know it's helped me a lot in that way. While part two reads more like a manual for therapists, there are quite a few strategies that anxious patients can use to supplement their own treatment. At the end of the day, this book is dated and imperfect (cognitive-behavioral therapy is the current dominant mode of treatment, and this work largely minimizes the behavioral component), but there is still gobs of information to benefit sufferers of anxiety disorders and help them learn to live with and move past their worries.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fair treatment of the cognitive side of anxiety disorders, but as is par for the course, pays little attention to the biological and genetic side of anxiety.

[Annie Coppock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first chapter of this book put my anxiety disorder in a completely different framework for me and basically cured me.

[Burak Yıldız · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muazzam anksiyete hakkında kuramsal bakış açısı ve uygulamalar açısından çok yeterli bir kaynak.

[Basel · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Being anxious " or "having anxiety " are, many times, used too lightly. Sometimes words don't really portray how crippling anxiety and fear disorders can be. This is especially true when people who truly suffer from anxiety aren't taken seriously simply because a dominant society representation portrays as a fad or something totally arbitrary. What Beck and Emery try to do here is analyze how different harmful paterns of thinking in the mind can become crippling, even destructive at times. The book, on the one hand, analyzes how cognition is a key aspect of developing anxiety and affecting a person's life, and on the other hand, it offers a guideline for treating these disorders by using cognitive therapy. While it's, to a bigger extent, directed to a more specialized public, it's still pretty accessible to the general reader and very insightful.

[Anthony Mazzorana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would highly recommend to anyone looking to learn more about CBT. I only withhold a star because it's dated at this point.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this psychology book to everyone that has an anxiety disorder. By learning what anxiety is in this book you will in turn learn how to treat it.

[Joanna Gould · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful overview. Enjoyed the second part describing treatment strategies more than the initial overview, which was a little cumbersome. Definitely worth reading.

[Jess Lanning · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a class and it was a little dense to read. The first part of the book about anxiety and phobias through a cognitive lens is really insightful.

[CatherineAda Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the father of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, this book delves even deeper into identifying and addressing anxiety and phobia.

[Casey Sutherland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview. Perhaps a bit dated in some areas.

[Margarita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anxiety disorder recognition and steps toward healing. Very interesting! Very step by step instructions.

[Beth]

Beck is my hero in more ways than one. Easily accessible book.