Clinical Handbook of Fear and Anxiety

• Doody's Core Title

The Clinical Handbook of Fear and Anxiety is a comprehensive guide to the understanding and treatment of clinical anxiety and related disorders.

As the editors demonstrate, the clear delineations implied by DSM and ICD diagnoses are illusory when it comes to real-life clinical anxiety. This is because symptoms are shared among different diagnoses, meaning that the same patient can be diagnosed in a variety of ways — leading clinicians to recommend different treatments that can have radically different outcomes.

This volume therefore offers a shift in perspective. Chapters in Part I highlight the key psychological processes (e.g., intolerance of uncertainty, threat overestimation) that maintain clinical anxiety. Then in Part II, contributors examine empirically supported mechanisms of change (e.g., exposure, cognitive restructuring, acceptance) that are effective across a range of anxiety presentations and are found in a variety of effective treatments.

The editors' transdiagnostic approach helps clinicians connect theory with the practical realities of mental health treatment.

Contributors

Preface

I. Maintenance Processes

Introduction to Part I: Why Psychological Maintenance Processes?
Shannon M. Blakey and Jonathan S. Abramowitz

1. Overestimation of Threat
   Jonathan S. Abramowitz and Shannon M. Blakey
2. Safety Behaviors
   Michael J. Telch and Eric D. Zaizar
3. Intolerance of Uncertainty
   Ryan J. Jacoby
4. Anxiety Sensitivity
   Steven Taylor
5. Disgust Sensitivity
   Peter J. de Jong and Charmaine Borg
6. Distress Intolerance
   Caitlin A. Stamatis, Stephanie E. Hudiburgh, and Kiara R. Timpano
7. Experiential Avoidance
   Sarah A. Hayes-Skelton and Elizabeth H. Eustis
8. Worry and Rumination
   Thane M. Erickson, Michelle G. Newman, and Jamie L. Tingey
9. Perfectionism
   Ariella P. Lenton-Brym and Martin M. Antony
10. Metacognition
    Adrian Wells and Lora Capobianco
11. Autobiographical Memory Bias
    Mia Romano, Ruofan Ma, Morris Moscovitch, and David A. Moscovitch
12. Attention Bias
    Omer Azriel and Yair Bar-Haim
13. Interpersonal Processes
    Jonathan S. Abramowitz and Donald H. Baucom

II. Treatment Mechanisms

Introduction to Part II: Why Mechanisms of Change?
Jonathan S. Abramowitz and Shannon M. Blakey

14. Habituation
    Jessica L. Maples-Keller and Sheila A. M. Rauch
15. Inhibitory Learning
    Amy R. Sewart and Michelle G. Craske
16. Cognitive Change via Rational Discussion
    Lillian Reuman, Jennifer L. Buchholz, Shannon M. Blakey, and Jonathan S. Abramowitz
17. Behavioral Activation
    Matt R. Judah, Jennifer Dahne, Rachel Hershenberg, and Daniel F. Gros
18. Mindfulness and Acceptance
    Clarissa W. Ong, Brooke M. Smith, Michael E. Levin, and Michael P. Twohig
19. Pharmacological Enhancement of Extinction Learning
    Valérie La Buissonnière-Ariza, Sophie C. Schneider, and Eric A. Storch
20. Interpretation Bias Modification
    Courtney Beard and Andrew D. Peckham

Index

About the Editors

Dr. Abramowitz has over 20 years of experience studying the course and treatment of anxiety-related disorders, especially OCD, and other related topics. He is currently a professor of psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and director of its Anxiety Clinic. He previously served as associate chair of the UNC Psychology and Neuroscience Department and has prior teaching experience at the Mayo Clinic and Mayo School of Medicine.

Dr. Abramowitz is also the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders, authoring over 300 research articles, book chapters, encyclopedia entries, and books on the topic. He lives in Chapel Hill, NC. Visit his websiteopens in new window and follow him on Xopens in new window.

Shannon Blakey, MS, is PhD candidate of Clinical Psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She works closely with Dr. Abramowitz in the UNC Anxiety Clinic’s research on anxiety-related disorders. She is interested in treatment and therapeutic strategies to tackle anxiety disorders, and is conducing research on safety aids and behaviors during exposure therapy. She lives in Chapel Hill, NC.

This book explores a number of topics in the transdiagnostic approach and should be in the libraries of clinicians and graduate students.
—Doody’s Reviews

The clinical research community has been building a body of literature to support a transdiagnostic, principle- and process-based approach to understanding and treating anxiety disorders for a while, but a comprehensive text combining these ideas within an overarching framework has been lacking. Abramowitz and Blakey have filled this void in a way that provides concrete tools, strategies, and case examples to illustrate concepts and provide clinical recommendations.
—Kate Wolitzky-Taylor, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles

Abramowitz and Blakey have assembled an exceptional group of scholars to highlight the dimensional processes that will be foundational in replacing our flawed categorical approach to psychopathology. This book is a must-read for researchers and clinicians who are interested in the core mechanisms that drive various disorders.
—Bunmi O. Olatunji, PhD
Professor and Director of Clinical Training, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

This is an outstanding resource for researchers and educators, and the attention given to assessment and treatment of core maintenance processes will be extremely valuable to evidence-based practitioners. I was impressed by the comprehensive nature of this book, which covers current theoretical perspectives and treatment approaches, with contributions from leading researchers in the field.
—Jesse R. Cougle, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychology, Director of Clinical Training, Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee