On Edge is partly a memoir and partly a very comprehensive research paper into anxiety disorders. Andrea Petersen, a health, psychology and neuroscience reporter for the Wall Street Journal, combines her own experience of living with anxiety with a deep dive into research that explores the disorder. As you would expect due to Ms Petersen's profession, the book is extremely well researched and well written. In fact, I think it deserves a place on the reading lists of any mental health courses out there. On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety explores the history of the disorder, the history of diagnosis and treatment, the influence of genetics and what we can learn from the advances in neuroimaging. It looks at various treatment suggestions (from CBT and ACT to meditation and yoga etc.) including information on drugs. It deals with parenting and anxiety in children and young people. Petersen's research includes studies from all around the world. The attention to detail is quite impressive but the sometimes heavy research focus might not make this overly user-friendly for everybody. It took me quite a while to get through the book; the main reason being that it sometimes felt like reading for work/study rather than leisure reading. There is a lot of information to process.
But then there is Andrea Petersen's autobiographical story, which is touching, very interesting, and also brave. Ms Petersen doesn't shy away from looking at the effect her anxiety has had on past relationships or her family's history of mental health issues.
Overall, highly recommended reading if you suffer from anxiety yourself, know somebody who does and want to find out more about it, or even if you're generally interested in the subject. There is a lot of useful information, but beware if you're not used to research terminology some of this requires concentration and patience but it's worthwhile investing the time.
I received an ARC via NetGalley.

I have suffered from anxiety and depression almost all my life and at one point (11 to 18) was medicated for it. I have taken various psychology courses and took all other opportunities to learn about both when I got old enough. I'm fairly well read on depression and anxeity and I found her facts to be spot on and well spoken , easy to read and I find her point of view and struggles to be something that will open peoples eyes.

With the uncertainty in our world and country more and more people are suffering from generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks.  There are no quick fixes nor does 1 size fill all. This book gives the reader a true insight into what symptoms can be and some ways to reduce anxiety. Again, the author's approach may not work for you but may for someone else. The mere fact that this book address anxiety lets you know you're not nuts

Helpful and enlightening. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

An eye opening personal account of what it is like to live with anxiety and function in the world.  Told in a way that doesn't patronize or whine.

On Edge was an interesting story of a woman’s struggle with anxiety.  I had no idea there were so many different types of anxiety disorders, or of the varying degrees of anxiety.

Anxiety is more common and often more severe in women.  Studies have found that one factor contributing to this is the differing styles of parenting for boys and girls.  As a society, parents tend to rescue their little girls more often than boys, unwittingly teaching the girls that they aren’t capable.

Included were methods of coping with anxiety without drugs.  Meditation and yoga were too examples of successful anxiety relievers.  Also mentioned were many studies, data and social experiments.  At times the book was a bit too scientific for my taste, but I can see how the information would be valuable to those suffering from anxiety, or others needing information about anxiety.

Other options for treatment were drugs such as prozac, paxil, xanax and several others.  Some drugs had more detailed information than others.  The drugs also seem to vary among individuals as to their effectiveness.

What I found most interesting was the author’s account of her own personal struggles and the account of what her grandmother had experienced.  In fact, I think a compelling non-fiction story could be built around her grandmother’s bout with mental illness.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing an advance copy for me to read and review in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so much more than I expected. Yes it is a heavier read, I did not just finish it in a few hours but literally every page, I highlight or bookmark a phrase or definition that is just so good and really resonates with me. I have already recommended this book to a few of my close friends who I know suffer from anxiety as well as on a book group I am in and will continue to do so. Such a great read!

Disease memoirs are sometimes challenging to read, but I think this one is one of the best I've ever read. Anxiety was a subject I wanted to learn more about, as it's something I've had to manage more in the past few years than I had to earlier in my life, although some of the author's discussion of her childhood sounded familiar. Petersen very adeptly wove her own story in with all the scientific research and interviews of medical professionals she did as someone with a journalist's background to keep the book moving along, not too bogged down in either her personal experience or the science. I learned a lot from this book and it didn't even make me extra anxious to read....I found it fascinating the way she dissected her own story, not dispassionately but very thoroughly, to cover the subject in such detail.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I suffer from anxiety and was really interested in reading this book.  

Unfortunately, it really wasn't the type of book I had hoped.  Yes, the author did a lot of research (not to mention the research of living through this every day) and the author explains it very well, but this book felt like a dry read for me.  Facts and more facts.  I had hoped for a story, a memoir, something that I could connect with.  Nothing.

On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety by Andrea Peterson is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early May.

This book goes into the definition, origin, and the therapies/medications for anxiety, as well as living with anxiety at work/traveling/relationships/as a parent. Petersen describes anxiety being fear-based, anticipatory, and having genetic propensity, while offering personal stories amid neuro research and case studies. She encourages CBT/exposure therapy, relaxation, mindfulness, risk aversion, and exercise, but admits that there's conflicting research on anxiety creating stronger bonds in a relationship or more stress/constraint. I'm in complete and total agreement on her examples of symptoms, feelings during an initial diagnosis, and anxiety's invisibility ("I would've never guessed..."), and as anxiety being isolating and like "a pushy neighbor: chatty, intrusive, and often boring as hell."

The book was ok, jumped around a lot and if I wanted a history of the medical piece of anxiety I would have done my own research.  The pieces (very few) that she actually talked about herself were pretty good and I could see some things in people that I know but all in all it is a pass book for me.

This is a very scientific book.  There are a lot of facts and testing results in the book.  I felt as if I was reading a textbook.  I was excited to read a book about anxiety but I wanted it to be more about her experiences and less about the things I can read about in psychological journals and textbooks.

“An anxiety disorder is a condition in which you experience frequent, powerful bouts of anxiety that interfere with your life” ~ ADAA 

“On Edge” is reporter medical journalist Andrea Petersen’s powerful debut memoir of the challenges of dealing with cycles of severe crippling anxiety that alternated between periods of wellness and unpredictable episodes that led to shattering relapses. The book covers nearly three decades. Patients with a panic disorder wait on an average of 10 years before seeking care from a medical provider, those with conditions related to social phobia wait up to 16 years. There is no cure, or guarantee of receiving appropriate psychological/medical diagnosis and treatment.

While attending college in Ann Harbor at the University of Michigan in 1989, Petersen was “ambushed with fear”.  These fears totally overwhelmed her, with profuse sweating, stomach flipping, increased heart rate, breathing shallow and fast, erratic pounding  in her ears and visual impairment. Convinced she was having a stroke, heart attack, and/or dying, she spent a great deal of time in her dorm room or on her parents couch barely able to function in daily life. There was no warning of these panic attacks. When she consulted her doctor she had gone from a “silly sorority girl” to a “terrorized shut-in” in a matter of weeks. With multiple trips to doctors, emergency room visits, numerous rounds of tests including EKG’s and CAT scans there were thousands of dollars charged in medical bills.

After Petersen recovered somewhat from a mental breakdown, she toured the 400 acre Mendota Mental Health Institute (1860-) where her grandmother had once been a patient. Petersen recalled her own family heritage and wrote convincingly of the genetic component involved in anxiety disorders. The links and symptoms of anxiety begin in childhood for many patients, though she had good stable upbringing with no neglect or abuse. 
Petersen added research from Freud --where his ideologies to diagnose the origin/root cause of anxiety were abandoned, and shifted to relieving symptoms.  Dr. Aaron Beck (University of Pennsylvania) invented Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Administered in 12-15 weekly sessions with homework, Petersen found CBT effective, though relapse rates varied. Comparisons were made between non-drug and drug therapies.  Studies and use of psychotropic medications, side effects, concerns for using medication long term, for crisis stabilization, and during pregnancy were really informative.

Petersen clarified that it wouldn’t have been possible for her to graduate from college without the loyalty and support of friends and a steady boyfriend. Sadly, not all of her friends understood, another boyfriend of many years questioned her ability to work and parent a child, eventually ended their relationship. This led Petersen to be totally honest and transparent with potential suitors of her diagnosis, her truthful candor is a solid foundation of her story— and particularly helpful, whether reader’s  have anxiety conditions, or not. Planning her life and work around anxiety required Petersen to monitor her health, sleep, diet, and exercise needs carefully. Today she is healthier and confident. Ms. Petersen is a wife and mother of a young daughter, she and her family live in Brooklyn, N.Y. ~With thanks to Crown Publishing via NetGalley for the direct e-copy for the purpose of review.

As always I’ll start the review by saying how I came upon this book: I was looking for more mental health memoirs/non-fiction to read and stumbled upon this book in the publishers catalogue. The very first thing that attracted me towards this book is the subject matter it deals with: anxiety. The reason why that interested me is because I, myself am an anxious person and have always been one. Anxiety before a test, check, Anxiety whilst going to the supermarket, check, Anxiety while talking to people face to face, check. I still haven’t learned how to control my anxiety and I often avoid social situations but I guess that in time I’ll learn how to better cope with anxiety and anxious thoughts.

The author of this book is a journalist who has been suffering from anxiety disorders since she was a child but has been officially diagnosed in her twenties. We enter the mind of Petersen and experience her life filled with anxiety, panic attacks and more anxiety. This book is half memoir half psychology/science book combined together. It is divided into nine chapters with each one concentrating on different aspects of anxiety which is really fascinating. Example:

1. THE ANTICIPATION OF PAIN: DEFINING ANXIETY
2. SCARY CLOWNS AND THE END OF DAYS: ANXIETY IN CHILDHOOD
3. MY GRANDMOTHER’S MADNESS: THE GENETICS OF ANXIETY
4. and more..

In On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety the author offers insight into new research, history, effects of anxiety, drugs, treatment as well as her experience with it. While reading this book I’ve learned a lot more about anxiety in general but also the correlation between anxiety, depression and suicide:
‘Depression is the mental illness most strongly associated with suicidal thoughts, but it doesn’t often lead to suicidal acts. Recent research has found that it is anxiety disorders and other illnesses, like problems with impulse control or addiction, that are more likely to lead to suicide attempts.’

I have also learned the origin of the post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which Jacob Da Costa, an American physician discovered during the Civil War – an American soldier was complaining about ‘lancinating pains in the cardiac region, so tense that he was obliged to throw himself upon the ground’ which were resurfacing every so often. As a result of this he has named the soldiers condition ‘irritable heart syndrome’. Freud has called anxiety disorders ‘The Anxiety-Neurosis’ and he paved the way for better understanding of anxieties and panic attacks (even though his approaches always had a connection with the unconscious and repressed urges).

I very much enjoyed reading about Petersen’s experience with anxiety and panic attacks – we also got insight into her life, family anamnesis with mental illness. The author compares gender roles – focusing on women’s and how having an anxiety disorder and its treatment was handled in the past.

‘The writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman has described her experience with the rest cure in the autobiographical short story The Yellow Wallpaper…

Deprived of distraction and any intellectual life, the heroine [of the short story spends hours staring at the yellow wallpaper in her room, gradually descending into madness…

...The rest cure was primarily prescribed to women. When Theodore Roosevelt was diagnosed with neurasthenia, his doctor sent him to a dude ranch in the Dakotas for a spell of riding and hunting.’

There were also harrowing facts that show how more and more people in the US suffer from anxiety disorders and other mental illnesses. Nowadays there are many focus groups, group therapies and other resources that can help prevent and manage many disorders. Petersen describes her experience with therapies such as CBT, ACT and many other but what mainly helped her was yoga with its calming effects on the mind of the one who’s doing it. What stayed with me when I finished this book is that nowadays scientists are trying to find better ways to control/ease anxiety in people and that is done by doing MRI scans on the brain while the brain is exposed to the source of the phobia/anxiety (e.g. arachnophobia: people are shown pictures of spiders, moving spiders are shown in virtual reality..) and they are trying to find ways to make people more comfortable with their phobia/anxiety.

In one particular chapter of the book we learn about medications which are used in order to treat disorders and their origins. Petersen compares drugs and therapy and gives us the ups and downs of both. She also shares her worries about her pregnancy and the fear of her daughter having an anxiety disorder. A wide range of studies, research, effects of anxiety on the brain and the body are described in this book and getting further into them would make this review an essay.

The final chapter of the book focuses on her present living and coping with anxiety and also at what is causing anxiety in young people today. The main reason for anxiety in young people is academia and academic achievements also the pressure that young people feel over getting good grades and making their parents proud. What we are left with is the knowledge that there are many sources of anxiety but what we should know is that we shouldn’t shy away from asking for help and support in dealing with something that’s causing us anxiety or mental health problems.

Some (not all) research and information may not be new to readers who study/have studied psychology/psychiatry but a person approaching this book without any knowledge will be left with information which will surely widen their knowledge on this subject.

A very well researched book filled with tons of useful information for anyone interested in anxiety disorders and psychology/psychiatry.

Release date: May 16th 2017 by Crown Publishing 

I would like to thank the publisher Crown Publishing (Penguin Random House) and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review of the same.

I've been reading a lot of fiction lately, and it's been a little while since I've reviewed any psychology nonfiction. I was excited to read Andrea Petersen's On Edge--it's always so encouraging to hear success stories from people who have had similar battles with anxiety that I have had.

However, I was confused right away, because On Edge is supposed to be Andrea Petersen's memoirs...and it is not that at all. But neither is it exactly an objective journalistic history of psychology.

On Edge smothers us with too much information. In an effort to explain her diagnosis, Petersen gives a complicated back story of mental illness, pulling the reader in too many directions all at once. We are with her grandmother in the institution, we are with Petersen in a mid-flight panic attack, and then we are deeply entrenched in an incredibly boring History of Psychology class. I couldn't figure out what end was up!

I would love to read Andrea Petersen's memoirs. And I would love to read a book written by Andrea Petersen giving me detailed information about anxiety and mental illness. But to try and combine the two, and still keep the history sections objective just were not happening. Maybe that wasn't the point, but it sure made it hard on me to switch gears so often. She needs to pick one and stick with it. This was a DNF--I made it halfway and then just couldn't keep going. That's highly unusual for a book of this subject matter.

As an Anxiety sufferer myself, I loved this and when I first started it, the urge to pre-order a copy for every one of my family and loved ones. However, while they were important, it started to get bogged down in studies that I know would make most of those without a real dog in this fight drop the book. (I will still be getting copies for my parents and significant other.)

What hit me is that while I could really relate to her story since we are about the same age, how nefarious and multifaceted Anxiety is. We had very different symptoms, different reactions, and took different avenues to get help over the years. We also had and continue to have varying reactions from medical professionals, the people that are supposed to help us. 

I'm grateful that it the awareness of mental illness has grown by leaps and bounds since she and I were in college. We still have so far to go to blast the stigma to smithereens.  (Even some of the older studies that she mentions show that employers would be more likely to hire a person in a wheelchair before someone that admits to having a mental illness)

I think that the most uplifting part of her story is that she's functioning, with her career, her marriage and having a child. I'm far from functioning and wrote off ever having a child many moons ago. She gives me hope and I'm grateful that she pushed through and shared her story.

For years, Andrea Peterson treated her anxiety attacks as physical illnesses, and so did the rest of the world. When she was finally diagnosed with anxiety, she entered a different part of the medical world, one that has a wide range of treatments and even so-called cures for anxiety. Intertwining her personal experiences, with an exploration of the history of treatment for anxiety, as well as present day discussions about living in today's anxious world, Peterson's memoir is a solid read.

"On Edge" is a fantastic book, full of helpful information about anxiety disorders. The info helped me understand that anxiety and depression are two distinct issues. One can bring about the other, but they are different types of mental illness. I appreciated the author's bravery in telling her story, and found her experiences to be heartbreaking, yet eye-opening. I only wish the book didn't end quite so abruotly, but then, how does one "end" a story that is ongoing? I have already recommended this book to others, and will continue to do so. Highly recommended!

I cannot recommend this book enough.  If you suffer from anxiety, know someone who suffers from anxiety, or just want to be more informed, this book is a lifeline.  I constantly found myself nodding and saying "yeah!  I know how that is!" as I read.  I liked the way Andrea interspersed the information parts of the books with personal anecdotes.  It made the dense technical aspects of anxiety much more readable.

As someone with anxiety, I have experienced its most crushing form. "On Edge" immediately captured my interest and held it throughout the book. I especially appreciated Petersen's candor with her struggle. Her bravery both in examining her anxiety and sharing her experience in the hope to help others is profoundly commendable. I highly recommend "On Edge."