Fears, Phobias, and Rituals: Panic, Anxiety, and Their Disorders

This book draws on fields as diverse as biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, psychiatry, and ethology, to form a fascinating synthesis of information on the nature of fear and of panic and anxiety disorders. Dr. Marks offers both a detailed discussion of the clinical aspects of fear-related syndromes and a broad exploration of the sources and mechanisms of fear and defensive behavior. Dealing first with normal fear, he establishes a firm, scientific basis for understanding it. He then presents a thorough analysis of the development, symptoms and treatment of fear-related syndromes. Phobic and obsessive-compulsive disorders are examined in detail. The book is illustrated with examples of fear and defensive behavior in other living organisms. By drawing provocative analogies between animal and human behavior, it sheds new light on the origins of fears, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive problems, as well as on their treatment by drugs and psychological means. Clinical psychologists, ethologists, and anyone interested in the mechanisms of behavior will be fascinated by this authoritative study. The text is intriguing and informative, and the bibliography of over 2,100 entries makes it an invaluable reference.

Table of Contents:
PART I: NORMAL FEAR 1: Fear, Defense and Evolution 2: Situations Which Evoke Fear 3: Fear Behaviors: The Four Strategies 4: Some Fear Adaptations PART II: ETIOLOGY 5: Development of Fear 6: Genetics of Fear 7: Physiology of Fear 8: Learning of Fear PART III: CLINICAL SYNDROMES 9: Phobic and Obsessive-Compulsive Phenomena: Classification, Prevalence and Relationship to Other Problems 10: The Agoraphobic Syndrome (Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia) 11: Social and Specific Phobias 12: Traumatic Phobias, Illness Phobias, and Children's Phobias 13: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders (OCD) PART IV: TREATMENT 14: Psychological Treatment: Principles 15: Psychological Treatment: Clinical Issues 16: Physical Treatments of Phobic and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders

Review :
"Extensively researched and well-written presentation of a broad scope of human and animal data relevant to the development and treatment of anxiety disorders....The text flows nicely and is often even entertaining in its provocative presentation of theoretical speculation....An extraordinary accomplishment by a single author. It succeeds...in integrating a vast array of human and animal literature on the etiology, description, and treatment of phobic disorders, panic disorders, and related anxiety syndromes."--Hospital and Community Psychiatry "Written by one of the eminent researchers and clinicians in the anxiety disorders....How does one proceed to cover the depth as well as breadth of this highly detailed effort?....A towering addition to our comprehension of the anxiety disorders....primarily a reference text for persons interested in extending their grasp of the anxiety disorders."--American Journal of Psychiatry "This volume is a major scientific treatise on all aspects of fear, both normal and pathological, and is distinguished by its clarity, careful analysis of difficult material, and judicious evaluation of experimental evidence. There is little to criticise....[A] magnificent book which, like its predecessor, will almost certainly remain the standard work on the subject....Psychiatrists, psychologists and ethologists will all find much to interest and even fascinate them."--British Journal of Psychiatry "This is a thorough and scientific text that would fit equally well on the shelves of researchers and practitioners. It is highly recommended."--Contemporary Psychology "This is a scholarly, lucidly written text. The author has impressively drawn from the literature of many diverse fields of research....A comprehensive text on the anxiety disorders, with over 2,000 references. It should be of interest both to the clinician in the field--who is often faced with patients resistant to either biological or psychotherapeutic treatments--and to the anxiety researcher, because of its breadth of coverage and integration of a diverse literature."--The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease