Editorial Reviews:
We've all felt occasional pangs of shyness and self-consciousness, but for the 15 million Americans with social anxiety disorder, the fear of being scrutinized and criticized can reach disabling proportions. Such was the case for Emily Ford, who shares her firsthand experiences in these pages. Emily's true story of fear, struggle, and ultimate triumph is sure to resonate with other socially anxious teenagers and young adults.
Emily's frank, often witty, sometimes poignant account of how she negotiated all the obstacles of social anxiety--and eventually overcame them with the help of therapy and hard work--makes for compelling reading. Yet this book is more than just a memoir. Emily's story is coupled with the latest medical and scientific information about the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and self-management of social anxiety disorder (or SAD). Readers will find a wealth of solid advice and genuine inspiration here. In engaging, accessible language--and with the help of psychiatrist Michael Liebowitz--she discusses what is known and not known about social anxiety disorder in adolescents. She outlines the various psychotherapies available for those with SAD and explains how to seek professional help, how to talk to family and friends about the illness, and how to handle difficult social situations. The result is both an absorbing story and a useful guide that will help to ease the isolation caused by SAD, encouraging young people to believe that, with commitment and hard work, they can overcome this illness.
Part of the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative series of books written specifically for teens and young adults, What You Must Think of Me will also be a valuable resource for friends and family of those with SAD. It offers much-needed hope to young people, helping them to overcome this illness and lead healthy, productive lives.
Customer Reviews:
 A rare glimpse into the tortured world of a young person struggling with social anxiety disorder
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"As a child, Emily was incomparable, unusual, even precocious. At age four she was writing little poems and stories, enjoying music, art, and a myriad of creative pastimes. The breadth of her imagination along with her joie de vivre was a charming combination. Then in her teens, Emily became increasingly self-conscious. Immediate post-college days marked the beginning of her deep depression...During this time she frequently slept by day and was up all night...Emily withdrew socially; personal reactions became rare. Anxiety plagued her to the point of refusing to talk on the phone...Her eating habits became bizarre..."
The above is part of a letter written by the mother of the main author of this fascinating book, Emily Ford (with professor of clinical psychology, Dr. Michael Liebowitz and freelance health & psychology writer Linda Andrews).
This book in a nutshell has Ford sharing her personal struggle with the serious yet treatable disorder called social anxiety disorder (SAD), also called social phobia. She takes the reader along on her incredible and courageous journey of successfully coping with this disorder, while providing useful information, help, and hope to others also suffering from it (about 15 million Americans suffer from SAD), as well as to family members and friends who want to help. It is also an excellent book for those like me (one of my degrees is a psychology degree) who want to understand this disorder from the perspective of a person who has been challenged by it.
What is social anxiety disorder (SAD)? It is an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is a vague, unpleasant, emotional state with qualities of apprehension, dread, distress, and uneasiness. An anxiety disorder is a cover term for a variety of maladaptive syndromes which have severe anxiety as the dominant disturbance. SAD is "an anxiety disorder characterized by marked fear in social situations that involve being around unfamiliar people or the possibility of scrutiny by others." (Note that SAD is "substantially different" from shyness.)
Ford's chronicling of coping with SAD is in a word: superb. She tells her story with insight and warmth.
A major highlight of this book is that key points from the main narrative are isolated (in handwritten script), thus allowing the reader to have important information at his/her fingertips. To give the reader a "feel" for the book, I will give one example of these key points from each section (preface and chapters) of the book:
Preface: "The bravest thing I've ever done was to reach out and actively seek the assistance I desperately wanted and knew I needed."
(1) "I believed everyone around me was exchanging subtle signs and singles, conveying to one another that for any of a number of reasons, I was out of place."
(2) "Unless I knew I was going to be very good at something, I didn't do it at all."
(3) "Allowed to grow freely, untested by real-world experiences, my fears quickly mushroomed out of control."
(4) "Some new outfits and a change of scenery didn't magically transform me into the confident, outgoing person I wanted to be."
(5) "Medication may work faster than [therapy], but therapy may have more durable effects after treatment is stopped."
(6) "It takes great courage to force yourself to face your fears."
(7) "The confidence I gained by facing smaller challenges strengthened my belief that I could succeed."
(8) "Social anxiety disorder is just one of the many characteristics that make me the unique person I am."
After the main narrative is completed, there is helpful material at the end of the book. First, there is a section called "Frequently Asked Questions." It is composed of 14 important questions regarding social anxiety disorder with complete answers given. Second, there is a glossary of terms that are defined for the reader. The definition of social anxiety disorder given above was taken from this glossary. Finally, there is a resource list provided not only for social anxiety disorder but for other disorders as well.
Finally, I only had one problem with this book. Although the author does a good job on informing the reader of the variety of medications (that is, prescribed drugs) available to aid therapy, I feel she does not convey the many problems associated with them. For example, there is a chart given that lists the prescribed drugs for social anxiety disorder. No where on this chart are the dangerous side effects given.
The fact is prescribed drugs are not candies. They have to be treated with caution. Thus, if prescribed drugs must be given, they ideally should be carefully monitored by the therapist prescribing them and given only for the short term (3 to 6 months).
In conclusion, this is a rare book written by a person trying to cope with social anxiety disorder. I leave you with the conclusion of the mother's letter that I began above:
"Remarkably, Emily has abandoned her dark despair and re-emerged into the radiance of self-delight and that of the world around her...Through...therapy and medication Emily has become a `new' person, ironically by becoming her `old' self. Once again, Emily has embraced the validity of her emotions, her uniqueness, and her interest in the lives of others."
(first published 2007; forward; preface; 8 chapters; main narrative 120 pages; frequently asked questions; glossary; resources; bibliography; index)
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