It's Not All in Your Head: How Worrying about Your Health Could Be Making You Sick--and What You Can Do about It

It's Not All in Your Head: How Worrying about Your Health Could Be Making You Sick--and What You Can Do about It

by Gordon J. G. Asmundson (Author), Steven Taylor (Author)

Synopsis

Where do you go for help when no one believes you're really sick? The doctors can't explain your symptoms, but you know there's something wrong because you can sense it in your body. Living with the specter of an unresolved health issue isn't just painful, it's isolating. The preoccupation and stress it causes can disrupt your career or interfere with personal relationships. If you continually experience symptoms of illness, or worry a lot about disease, you may be suffering from health anxiety--a condition that can produce physical effects of its own, including muscle tension, nausea, and a quickened heart rate. In this compassionate and empowering book, noted psychologists Gordon J. G. Asmundson and Steven Taylor provide simple and accurate self-tests designed to help you understand health anxiety and the role it might be playing in how you feel. Concrete examples and helpful exercises show you how to change thought and behavior patterns that contribute to the aches, pains, and anxiety you're experiencing. The authors also explain how to involve friends and family--and when to seek professional help--as you learn to stay well without worry.

Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Self-Help Book of Merit

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 212
Edition: 1
Publisher: Guilford Press
Published: 09 Sep 2005

ISBN 10: 1572309938
ISBN 13: 9781572309937

Media Reviews
As a long-term sufferer of health anxiety, I wish I could have read this book many years ago. I know that it would have saved me a lot of grief. It is full of helpful ideas and things to do, including easy-to-follow self-assessments, exercises, and worksheets. If you worry a lot about your health, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. --Paul, age 64

It may sound hard to believe, but I've been to scores of doctors and none of them have ever explained the issues that this book demystifies in such a simple, commonsense way. I have a whole new lease on life now--maybe you will too. --Graham, age 52

Since reading this book, my partner has become much more rational about his anxiety. He used to hide his fears from me (while still seeking reassurance), but now he can talk about them openly and deal with them more productively. I've learned ways I can be more helpful, too, and the stress has gone down for both of us. --Jennifer, age 28

This is the most comprehensive and useful book available for people who worry a lot about their health. It is practical, easy to read, and packed with helpful exercises. Most importantly, the strategies described in this book are based on solid scientific research, with proven effectiveness. Anyone who worries about his or her health will likely benefit from reading this book, as will the people who care about them. --Martin M. Antony, PhD, coauthor of 10 Simple Solutions to Panic; Director, Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Asmundson and Taylor, two very accomplished researchers, have turned their considerable clinical and writing skills to a much-neglected topic. Full of useful scientific information, engaging anecdotes, solid advice, and no small measure of humor, It's Not All in Your Head will help put many health anxiety sufferers on the road to wellness and peace of mind. --Murray B. Stein, MD, MPH, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego

In a clear, sympathetic style, these expert authors throw light on the confusing area of health anxiety. Until now, people suffering from hypochondriasis and related problems have lacked a readily accessible book to turn to for information and self-help strategies. For those who have been told their symptoms are 'all in their head,' there is finally relief here, where 'it's all in this book.' --Richard P. Swinson, MD, Department of Psychiatry, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

If you or someone you love worries too much about health concerns, help is finally at hand. Two internationally renowned experts share the latest information and offer helpful tools to help people feel healthier and worry less. Clear, helpful, and state-of-the-art. --Theo K. Bouman, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands; coauthor of Anxiety Disorders: A Practitioner's Guide
Author Bio
Gordon J. G. Asmundson, PhD, is Professor and Canadian Institutes of Health Research Investigator in Psychology and Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina, Canada, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Asmundson is well known for his award-winning research in the areas of anxiety disorders, health anxiety, and acute and chronic pain. Steven Taylor, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Taylor has also received several prestigious research awards. His work focuses on cognitive-behavioral treatments and anxiety disorders. Together, Drs. Asmundson and Taylor are the authors of a related professional book, Treating Health Anxiety, also published by Guilford.