Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A wry, sympathetic, bracingly honest account of living with anxiety, coupled with deep reportage on the science of anxiety disorders.
Andrea Petersen was first diagnosed with ananxiety disorderat the age of twenty, but she later realized that she had been experiencing panic attacks since childhood. Although having a name for her terrifying physical symptoms (a racing heart, difficulty breathing, and more) and fearswas an enormous relief, identifying it was only the beginning of a journey to understand it one that takes her from New Englandmountaintops to the back of a motorbike in Vietnam as she refuses to let anxiety rule her life.
InOn Edge, Petersen harnesses her personal experience and expertise as a health reporter to explore the biological mechanisms of anxiety and the groundbreaking research that might point the way to new treatments. She excavates the role of genetics and the environment in mental illness by visiting with top neuroscientists, and by tracing her family history from her grandmother, who, plagued by paranoia, once tried to burn down her own house, to her young daughter, in whom Petersen sees shades of herself. Along the way, she also illuminates the differences between anxiety in men and women, and introduces us to the people whose support has allowed her to make her life her own."
Synopsis
A celebrated science and health reporter offers a wry, bracingly honest account of living with anxiety.
A racing heart. Difficulty breathing. Overwhelming dread. Andrea Petersen was first diagnosed with ananxiety disorderat the age of twenty, but she later realized that she had been experiencing panic attacks since childhood. With time her symptoms multiplied. She agonized over every odd physical sensation. She developed fears of driving on highways, going to movie theaters, even licking envelopes. Although having a name for her condition was an enormous relief, it was only the beginning of a journey to understand and master it one that took her from psychiatrists offices to yoga retreats to the Appalachian Trail.
Woven into Petersen s personal story is a fascinating look at the biology of anxiety and the groundbreaking research that might point the way to new treatments. She compares psychoactive drugs to non-drug treatments, including biofeedback and exposure therapy. And she explores the role that genetics and the environment play in mental illness, visiting top neuroscientists and tracing her family history from her grandmother, who, plagued by paranoia, once tried to burn down her own house, to her young daughter, in whom Petersen sees shades of herself.
Brave and empowering, this is essential reading for anyone who knows what it means to live on edge."