Review of "Under Pressure and Overwhelmed"
By Christopher Vye, Kathlene Scholljegerdes and I. David WelchPraeger Publishers, 2007
Review by Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, PhD NCC LMHC on Jan 27th 2009
Anxiety occurs in everyday life, but can be even more prevalent for those in college. In Under pressure & overwhelmed: Coping with anxiety in college, the authors discuss issues of anxiety that pertain particularly to those students who are on their own and trying to juggle academic, social, financial, and occupational stressors.
The authors state that they have two main goals for the book. First, they want to "enhance students' awareness of the expected and normal stresses of college life and the ways in which?they are affected by them" (p. xi). The second goal is to "describe the nature of anxiety, its common manifestations, and provide methods for effectively coping with it" (p. xii). The authors not only succeed in meeting these goals, but exceeding them through providing detailed checklists and worksheets throughout the book.
The book is divided into three parts, with a total of fourteen chapters. Part one is titled "Introduction to the Problem". Chapters in this section include "The Anxious Campus" and "The Many Faces of Anxiety". Part two is titled "Addressing the Sources of Anxiety in College Life". It includes chapters titled "Adapting to Campus Life", "Facing Shyness and Social Anxiety", and "Making the Grade". Part three is titled "Managing Anxiety and Related Conditions: Solutions and Effective Approaches". There is also a four-page resource guide.
The authors include many figures in the book, which greatly add to its comprehension and applicability. Figure 2.2 on page 23, for example, provides a graph with a continuum of anxiety ? including cartoon drawings depicting different levels of anxiety. The authors write in the text that as the reader views the graph, he should keep in mind that anxiety can range from non-pathological to disordered.
In Chapter 2, "The Many Faces of Anxiety: Anxiety and the Anxiety Disorders", the authors discuss the three components of anxiety: cognitive, physical, and behavioral. They also summarize the various anxiety disorders, including social anxiety disorder and panic disorder. In Chapter 5, "Looking Good", the authors discuss the anxiety associated with maintaining a positive image, and provide activities for improving self-esteem.
In Chapter 14, the authors effectively address concerns that may hinder students from seeking counseling, such as the fear that one has to be "crazy" if they need professional help. They also helpfully discuss the possible limits of confidentiality when seeking counseling services on campus. It would have been helpful if the authors had mentioned that campus counseling centers may be experiencing an overwhelming demand for services, leading to a longer wait time for non-urgent appointments (Schuchman, 2007).
Throughout the book, the authors do an excellent job of differentiating "normal" anxiety, from anxiety which is so impairing it qualifies for a diagnosis. The book focuses on the fact that "anxiety is the direct result of a person's judgment, or appraisal, of the risk or danger inherent in a situation" (p. 18). According to the authors, this means that "how one things about or appraises situations plays a big part in their experience of anxiety" (p. 18). In addition to discussing the role of appraisal in the onset of anxiety, the authors also discuss the neurobiological causes of anxiety. The authors discuss the brain processes in an easy to understand manner.
The book's references are up-to-date, and come from a wide variety of sources, such as the Journal of American College Health, the International Journal of Eating Disorders, the American Journal of Psychiatry, and various books and websites. The book is of interest to college students, their families, and clinicians. Even students who have a "normal" level of anxiety would benefit from the information and activities provided in this book.
Schuchman, M. (2007). Falling through the cracks: Virginia Tech and the restructuring of college mental health services. New England Journal of Medicine 357(2): 105-110.
© 2009 Stephanie Moulton Sarkis
Stephanie Moulton Sarkis PhD NCC LMHC is the author of 10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD: How to Overcome Chronic Distraction & Accomplish Your Goals (2006) and Making the Grade with Adult ADD: A Student's Guide to Succeeding in College with Attention Deficit Disorder (2008). She maintains a counseling private practice in Boca Raton, Florida, and is an adjunct assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University. She can be contacted via www.stephaniesarkis.com and [email protected].
Resources
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Articles
- What is Anxiety?
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The Biopsychosocial Model of Anxiety
- The Biopsychosocial Model: Causes of Pathological Anxiety
- Biological Explanations of Anxiety Disorders
- Biological Explanations of Anxiety: Part II
- Biological Explanations of Anxiety: Part III
- Biological Explanations of Anxiety: Part IV
- Psychological Explanations of Anxiety Disorders
- Psychological Explanations: Part II
- Social Explanations of Anxiety Disorders
- Development & Maintenance of Anxiety Disorders
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Classification & Diagnosis of Anxiety Disorders
- The Classification and Diagnosis of Anxiety Disorders
- Panic Attacks: A Classic Symptom of Several Anxiety Disorders
- Panic Disorder
- Separation Anxiety Disorder
- Selective Mutism
- Agoraphobia
- Specific Phobias and Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Other Anxiety-Related Disorders
- Anxiety and Other Psychiatric Disorders
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Anxiety Disorder Theories and Therapies
- Anxiety Disorders: Theories and Therapies
- Behavioral Learning Theory and Associated Therapies
- Operant Conditioning
- Operant Conditioning and Avoidance Learning
- Contemporary Views of Behavioral Learning Theory
- Behavioral Therapies for Anxiety Disorders
- Cognitive Theory and Associated Therapies
- Cognitive Therapy
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Adjunct Therapies
- Pharmacologic Treatments (Medication)
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Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
- Treatment for Separation Anxiety Disorder
- Treatment for Selective Mutism
- Treatment for Panic Disorder
- Treatment for Specific Phobias and Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
- Treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders (OCSDs)
- Conclusion
- Anxiety Disorder References & Additonal Resources
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News
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Questions and Answers
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- Possible OCD and Anxiety issues
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- Is My Anxiety a Normal Reaction?
- What am I Supposed to do With a Hypochondriac Step Daughter?
- Need Help
- Husband Continually Annoyed/Angry With Me
- How Can I Overcome my Debilitating Shyness and Fear of Life?
- Really Desperate..Please Help
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111 more
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- Fear of Choking
- Help
- Should I be Worried?
- Too Much Time doing Homework
- Falling Apart
- Can't Stand Noise
- What Is Intimacy, Exactly?
- Is She Ill?
- Social Anxiety, Depression and More...
- Do I Have Just Social Anxiety or Other Diagnoses Combined with SA?
- Need To Ask Someone
- False Memories
- Help! Please!
- Two Year Old Son Wandered
- Infections and The Brain
- Are Personality Disorders For Life?
- I am Terrified of Death.
- Anhedonia
- Our 23 Year Old Son Refuses to Get Help for His Anxiety Attacks and Depression.
- Anxiety
- Anxiety Disorder vs. Personality Disorder: Differences?
- Restroom Phobia
- I'm Afraid I'm Going Crazy
- Post Brain Surgery Mental Problems
- Would Medication Help?
- obsessive strange thoughts about life and existentialism
- Am I Crazy?
- Is it Anxiety? Is it Normal to Be Like That?
- Depressed 19 year old college student
- Depression helps to contribute to my unemployment! - Paula
- Relationship Anxiety
- Disconnected
- I'm Scared
- Please help fix my mom. - Kenny
- OCD?
- Saving my Son
- Scary thoughts, dark feelings, help?
- Swallowing fear
- Is there something wrong with me?
- I have PTSD and I feel nothing
- OCD Cure
- Repressed Memory
- I have OCD. Will this increase my child's chance of developing Autism?
- Crazy Thoughts
- 20 Year Old Female: no friends, depressed, what should I do?
- unwanted thoughts!
- crazy thoughts... all the time
- A very low threshold for stress tolerance
- Why can't I get gross images out of my head?
- fear of expiration
- SPECIFIC PHOBIA
- anxiety or going crazy?
- OCB
- visions of what could have been
- about depersonalization
- obsessive compulsive disorder
- OCD/ANXIETY while pregnant
- Amnesia
- Social Phobia
- Constant Counting Disorder
- Anxiety
- Is this OCD?
- Worried about my therapist
- No Friends
- Teenager...angst vs. mental health issue
- phobia regarding uncertainty
- Obsessed with running out of things
- Do I Have OCD?
- Do environmental factors hold a person back?
- Never Had a Relationship
- Shy Rural Student
- Nursing Student's Anxiety
- I'm Afraid They Are Judging Me
- Part Time Work and Stress
- Anxiety
- Panic
- Bathroom Phobia
- Anxiety?
- Mastery Of Anxiety And Panic
- Very Determined Panicker In The South
- Panicking Boyfriend
- Alternatives For Anxiety Treatment
- Is Anxiety A Hereditary Factor?
- Unable To Keep Eye Contact
- Is It Really Panic? And How Do We Get Help
- A Cure For Claustrophobia?
- Panic Attacks
- Shyness And The Post Partum Blues
- Klonopin
- Alternative Treatment
- Can't Afford Therapy
- Driving Phobia
- Indecisive
- Agoraphobia?
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- A Cure For Anxiety?
- Panic Attacks
- Fear of Driving
- Shy Guy
- Anxiety?
- Social Anxiety
- Linda writes:
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Book & Media Reviews
- 8 Keys to Stress Management
- A Brief History of Anxiety
- Anxiety
- Anxiety
- Anxiety Disorders
- Anxiety, Phobias, and Panic
- Been There, Done That? DO THIS!
- Calm Beneath the Waves
- Elsewhere
- Exercise for Mood and Anxiety
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31 more
- Getting Control
- Helping Students Overcome Depression and Anxiety
- Just Checking
- Mind-Body Workbook for Anxiety
- Monkey Mind
- My Age of Anxiety
- Overcoming School Anxiety
- Panic Disorder
- Passing for Normal
- Phobic and Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents
- Repressed Spaces
- Self-Coaching
- Stress
- Stress Survival Guide
- Textbook of Anxiety Disorders
- The 10 Best Anxiety Busters
- The Age of Anxiety
- The Anxieties of Affluence
- The Dutiful Worrier
- The Emotional Eater's Repair Manual
- The Male Stress Survival Guide
- The Places That Scare You
- The Stress Cure
- The SuperStress Solution
- Treating Affect Phobia
- Under Pressure and Overwhelmed
- Viniyoga Therapy for Anxiety
- When Words Are Not Enough
- Wish I Could Be There
- Yoga for Anxiety
- Yoga Journal's Yoga for Stress
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Self-Help Groups
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Links
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Videos
- How to Manage ADHD and Anxiety
- What You Need to Know about Students with ADHD and Anxiety
- How To Make Room For Gratitude In An Anxious Brain
- How to Stay Calm When You Know You'll Be Stressed
- Anxiety and Teen Girls with Lisa Damour, PhD
- Identifying and Treating Anxiety in Kids and Teens
- Anxiety, Trauma and How Prolonged Exposure Therapy Works For PTSD
- How Weighted Blankets May Lift Anxiety
- Too Scared: Social Anxiety Disorder
- Treating Anxiety Disorders: A Unified Protocol
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19 more
- Treating Youth Anxiety and Social Phobia
- Overcoming Anxiety in Children and Teens
- Treating Anxiety in Children and Teens with ASD
- Back-to-School Anxiety
- No More Shame: My life with Anxiety and Depression
- Adolescent Depression and Anxiety
- What is Social Anxiety Disorder?
- Living Without Fear
- What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
- What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
- School Anxiety! Activities To Help Kids and Teens Manage It
- Recognizing and Treating Problematic Fear and Anxiety in Children
- How To Stop Overthinking When You Have Anxiety
- My Anxiety Is Making Me Anxious!
- Evidence-Based Treatment Planning for Generalized Anxiety Disorder Video
- Managing Anxiety in Youth: More Action Than Talk
- Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety
- Recent Advances in Anxiety - Children/Adolescents
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More Information
- Wise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with David Barlow, Ph.D. on the Nature and Treatment of Anxiety and Panic Disorders
- Wise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Dr. Michelle Craske on Anxiety Disorders Research and Treatment
- Wise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Richard Heimberg, Ph.D. on Anxiety Research and Treatment
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