Phobias: Fighting the Fear. - Helen Saul - book review

Science News, March 1, 2003

HELEN SAUL

An estimated 8 percent of adults in the United States--11.5 million people--suffer from some type of phobia. For some, it's a fear of flying; for others, it's the number 13 or crossing bridges. Saul examines phobias from psychological and physiological perspectives and reveals how scientists have come to understand this phenomenon. Case studies focus on treatments and illustrate how physicians and psychologists have learned to focus on phobias as distinct, treatable conditions, rather than mysterious parts of larger mental problems. Originally published in hardcover in the United Kingdom in 2001. Arcade, 2002, 306 p., hardcover, $25.95.