A Brief History of Anxiety…Yours and Mine
New on audio in early 2021. Narrated by the author
Adapted for an award-winning documentary, “The Age of Anxiety,”by CBC Television, produced by Ric Bienstock in consultation with Patricia Pearson for Associated Producers (2012).
“If only more psychology were written with the literate intelligence of this book. It is a weaving of stories that accomplishes a great deal: cultural analysis, psychological insight, and personal reflection. If you are ever afraid of the dark, crowds of people, heights, and the insanity of your fellow humans, as I am, you may find comfort here.” Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul
“Pearson’s persuasive powers lie in her ability to implicate herself. Neither psychiatrist nor historian, she plunks down her own insecurities and phobias and nervous breakdowns on the examination table and picks through them with the most precise instrument she has at her disposal, her own gimlet eye…She is a daredevil on the page; her prose somersaults and vaults, keeping the reader entertained by her wit and amazed by her dexterity as an investigative journalist.” Miami Herald
“Major points for wit and flair.” New York Times
“Pearson is an excellent writer who knows exactly when to exploit the black humour and absurdity in this quite serious topic, then pull back and expound on the root causes of our national anxiety disorder.” Toronto Star
“In the meditation on anxiety, shot through with insights and shards of illumination, Patricia Pearson has subtly interwoven her personal story with the history of anxiety in a manner that left this reader revisiting both the text and my memories long after I had finished it. This short book deftly conveys a sense of where we have come to, offers succour to anyone afflicted with nerves, and may yet take a place beside some of the cultural landmarks in the field.” David Healy, psychiatrist and author of Let Them Eat Prozac