Anxiety: A Short History

Johns Hopkins Biographies of Disease

by Allan V. Horwitz

Fears, phobias, neuroses, and anxiety disorders from ancient times to the present. More people today report feeling anxious than ever before—even while living in relatively safe and prosperous modern societies. Almost one in five people experiences an anxiety disorder each year, and more than a quarter of the population admits to an anxiety condition at some point in their lives. Here Allan V. Horwitz, a sociologist of mental illness and mental health, narrates how this condition has been experienced, understood, and treated through the ages—from Hippocrates, through Freud, to today. Anxiety is rooted in an ancient part of the brain, and our ability to be anxious is inherited from species far more ancient than humans. Anxiety is often adaptive: it enables us to respond to threats. But when normal fear yields to what psychiatry categorizes as anxiety disorders, it becomes maladaptive. As Horwitz explores the history and multiple identities of anxiety—melancholia, nerves, neuroses, phobias, and so on—it becomes clear that every age has had its own anxieties and that culture plays a role in shaping how anxiety is expressed.

Genres: Psychology, History, Science, Philosophy, Sociology, Mental Health, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Samuel Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A somewhat useful, mostly academic overview of the history of anxiety. Mostly skeptical of medicalization and the dominance of the DSM, which I think is not unreasonable. The endnotes point to plenty of secondary literature that will be useful for getting a sense for the history of how psychiatrists and their predecessors have grappled with the nature of anxiety.

[Caio Maximino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma não tão breve história da ansiedade, da Antiguidade européia ao DSM-5, apontando como as concepções humanas mudam profundamente em função do período histórico-cultural. Têm servido como importante fonte para o meu futuro livro sobre o tema.

[Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, densely written. A glossary would help.

[Guinevere Fischer]

Read a couple of chapters for a project. Useful resource but I haven't gone in depth enough to give a good review

[Queralt · Rating 4 out of 5]

an interesting overview on anxiety, considering different thinkers and physicians' perspective.

[Maureen Weiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a bit difficult to read because of the extensive medical terminology. But, I'm glad I finished it because it reminds us not to put too much faith into society's view of mental illness and especially not to put too much faith in medication, particularly if medication is used in place of addressing societal and situational causes of anxiety and depression.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very detailed. Skimmed. Basically not much more known of anxiety than in the earlier decades. Talk and natural solutions can change brain chemistry. Drugs have a lot of unwanted side effects.