My Age of Anxiety

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE. Just thirty-five years ago, anxiety was not recognized as a diagnostic category; now, it stands as the most prevalent officially classified mental illness. Scott Stossel expertly navigates the complex landscape of this often-misunderstood condition, drawing from his own long struggle with anxiety. He provides a compelling history that is both personal and authoritative, examining the condition through medical, cultural, philosophical, and experiential lenses. Stossel traces the evolution of understanding anxiety from early medical reports by Galen and Hippocrates to insights from figures like Robert Burton and S�ren Kierkegaard, and the groundbreaking work of nineteenth-century scientists such as Charles Darwin, William James, and Sigmund Freud. He also highlights contemporary research by neuroscientists and geneticists. The narrative includes accounts of notable individuals grappling with anxiety, alongside the experiences of his own family. Stossel's portrayal reveals anxiety's various manifestations and the profound distress it causes, while also detailing the diverse psychotherapies, medications, and unconventional treatments developed to alleviate it. Through vivid storytelling, he illustrates anxiety's crippling effects and the resilience of those who manage it, offering readers valuable insights into the biological, cultural, and environmental factors at play.