Women Who Worry Too Much by Holly Hazlett-Stevens

Product Details

Synopsis

Women are more likely than men to develop anxiety disorders, a fact which researchers have attributed to a range of biological, psychological, and cultural factors. This predispostion inclines women to worry more than men about things like social problems, work, finances-even about worry itself, a phenomenon psychologists call meta-worry. The goal of this book is to help readers control excessive worry by learning to perceive threats more accurately and to stop focusing on things that are unlikely to happen.Following an introduction by noted psychologist Michelle Craske that explores the reasons women worry more than men, the book addresses the fundamentals of worry: what it is, how it differs from anxiety, and how it can develop into a chronic state of mind. The book offers strategies for overcoming worry that include monitoring personal worry triggers, breaking worry-provoking habits, and avoiding avoidance-a major aggravating factor for all anxiety disorders. From it, you'll learn to use mindfulness techniques to avoid ruminating on the past or the future and how to use progressive relaxation to cope with worrisome situations. An anxiety expert offers women simple and effective cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based strategies for dealing with excessive worry, freeing them to lead more productive, less stressful lives.

Library Journal

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about four million Americans-more of them women-experience generalized anxiety disorder. These two books aim to help sufferers. Women Who Worry Too Much opens with an introduction by Michelle G. Craske that explains her research into how differently men and women deal with worry. Hazlett-Stevens (psychology, Univ. of Nevada, Reno; coauthor, New Directions in Progressive Relaxation Training) then discusses her cognitive behavioral therapy research before suggesting practical steps (e.g., gain a new perspective and then use relaxation and mindfulness techniques to redirect one's energy) for tackling various types of worry. Hazlett-Stevens weaves her scientific knowledge into an engaging and easy-to-read text that departs from the traditional emphasis on rationalizing away one's worry, and readers will be attracted to her spa retreat-like exercises. Leahy (Cognitive Therapy Techniques: A Practitioner's Guide) takes a different approaching to worry busting, focusing on outlining a system for transforming thought processes. Beginning with the "seven rules of Highly Worried People," he progresses logically through seven concrete steps that readers can take to control their worry. While not necessarily providing ground breaking insights, this book will appeal to many for its clearly outlined chapters with pertinent summaries, which make it both easy to read and to consult at a later date. Both books are appropriate and recommended for general self-help collections.-Crystal Renfro, Georgia Inst. of Technology Lib., Atlanta Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Biography

Holly Hazlett-Stevens, Ph.D., is assistant professor of psychology at the University of Nevada in Reno, NV. She has conducted psychological research in the areas of worry, anxiety, and relaxation for the past ten years, which has led to the publication of twelve journal articles and five book chapters. She also coauthored New Directions in Progressive Relaxation Training with Douglas A. Bernstein and Thomas D. Borkovec. In 2004, she was listed in Marquis' Who's Who of American Women and Academic Keys Who's Who in Social Sciences and Higher Education.

Michelle G. Craske, Ph.D., received her doctorate from the University of British Columbia in 1985 and has published over 100 articles and chapters in the areas of anxiety disorders and fear. She recently completed an advanced-level text, Anxiety Disorders: Psychological Approaches to Theory and Treatment. Currently, she is professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and director of the UCLA Anxiety Disorders Behavioral Research Program. She serves on the DSM-IV Anxiety Disorders Workgroup Subcommittee; is a consultant to various national organizations in their efforts to develop and disseminate practice guidelines for panic disorder and other anxiety disorders; and has been awarded NIMH/NIH funds for the study of anxiety disorders. Her research focuses on furthering the understanding of fear and anxiety and in developing more effective treatments for the anxiety disorders.