The Sky Is Falling Understanding and Coping with Phobias Panic and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders

Gracie hasn't left her house in thirty years out of fear she'll be contaminated. Jerry spent hours each day picking up debris on the subway platform. Norm's bridge phobia led him into alcoholism, messed up his marriage, and alienated his children. David - bright, young, ambitious - feared he'd lose his job because he so dreaded giving sales presentations. These are some of the case examples - exemplary of the approximately fourteen to twenty million people who suffer from anxiety disorders in this country - that are found in this riveting and helpful book. Raeann Dumont helps readers understand the features of obsessive compulsive disorder, phobias, and panic. Utilizing cognitive therapy and self-help techniques, she helps readers recognize anxiety producing thoughts and shows how, through reality-testing and assessing anxiety situations, these compulsions can be managed. Included in this volume is a step-by-step self-help section, charts, and worksheets.