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On Edge
On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety | Andrea Petersen
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 an anxiety disorder at 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 itone that took her from psychiatrists offices to yoga retreats to the Appalachian Trail. Woven into Petersens 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 historyfrom 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.
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kaykay521
Pickpick

Andrea has a break down in college in the 80s and goes to a host of doctors before being diagnosed with GAD (general anxiety disorder) and panic disorder. She realizes she's had anxiety since childhood. This book is part memoir part science textbook. She has put a lot of effort into research about anxiety from helpful medications to non drug therapy to genetics.

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JacintaMCarter
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Mehso-so

#2018Book34
As someone with anxiety, I worried that reading this would stir up my slight tendencies toward hypochondria. Some of it did, but nothing extreme. The sections of the book in which Petersen focuses on her own struggles with anxiety were extremely interesting and relatable. But the sections detailing various anxiety-related studies and medications felt too much like I was reading a medical textbook, which caused those chapters to drag.

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Decalino
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Pickpick

A brave and remarkable memoir about the author's struggle with anxiety. A reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Petersen shares the ways anxiety has affected her relationships and career since her first panic attack in college.

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EKonrad
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Always exciting to hear from the author herself!!! Makes me happy. 😊

UwannaPublishme Cool! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
18 likes1 stack add1 comment
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EKonrad
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Pickpick

As someone who struggle with anxiety, I'm always looking for writing that accurately depicts living with panic attacks. Petersen' book achieves this so well! Along with her own experiences with anxiety, the book also includes research from how these disorders develop to how they can be treated and managed. I'll definitely be giving this to my loved ones to help educate them! Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2071614435
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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mrozzz
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Stumbled upon this for the first time @bookculture and happened to get an autographed copy. I have similar struggles- hard to explain to someone who doesn't live this day to day and I always like picking up another writer's keen description/story.

DivineDiana Great find! 7y
50 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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littledid.she.know
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I've just barely started this, but I can already tell that it's a great window into the experiences of people who suffer from anxiety. I have had some struggles with anxiety and although they haven't been nearly as intense as what the author describes, it is so comforting to not feel alone. I'm so glad to live in an age when real efforts are being made to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness.

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Alwayscoolwb
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Procrastination does cause anxiety but I will wait until later to finish this post.

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Bengali.bookworm
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Mehso-so

It was ok.

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dariazeoli
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Scary stats in my current read.

Immediately after highlighting this section, my #kindle told me it's battery needed immediate charging.

Yanes What the heck? 7y
26 likes1 comment
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Erin01
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Mehso-so

this wasn't exactly what I expected - more science textbook then memoir, but I did mostly enjoy reading it & learning more about both her experiences with anxiety and a general overview on anxiety. there were a few times when I felt it was having an identity crisis of sorts, there were times when the information went well with her personal story but there were also times when I felt like I was reading two books in one

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Erin01
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finally getting back to reading this one 📖

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JenlovesJT47
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Yay to the first Goodreads win I've had in awhile. Sounds like something I need, too. #goodreads #ARC

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Well-ReadNeck
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Mehso-so

This was a memoir about a journalist's life with anxiety disorders. The memoir is interspersed with a primer about different treatment options and information about anxiety and past and present treatments. TBH, those parts were my least favorite part and slowed the pace. Her personal story was raw and honest and she includes input from those around her who she used her journalistic instincts to interview. #netgalley

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Would this be ok for a 13-year-old to read? My daughter suffers with anxiety and panic disorder and I thought it might help her to know she's not alone. Wasnt sure if this would be okay for a younger audience. 7y
Well-ReadNeck @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled No, I wouldn't recommend it for a 13 year old with active anxiety issues. (edited) 7y
Jessclay10 As a long-time sufferer of anxiety, it was nice to hear from someone who has been there and overcame it. I thought this was done very well. 7y
101 likes3 stack adds3 comments