Trevor J Powell and Simon J Enright
Routledge, Chapman and Hall, London
1989, 196 pages
This useful book is the first in a series on strategies for mental health. Forthcoming titles will include Assertiveness training, Bereavement and loss and Rehabilitation and community care. If these volumes are of the same high standard as this book then they may, as the series title implies, have a positive effect on mental health.
The contents of this book divide into four parts: the first part looks at the research underpinning theories of stress and anxiety, the second describes a wide range of assessment procedures, the third and by far the largest section looks at management strategies, and a final section uses clinical cases to demonstrate the application of the strategies which are described.
The stated aim of the authors is to demystify symptoms and to provide individuals with coping skills. There are skills here in abundance for the general practitioner and other members of the primary health care team. At a personal level there are useful sections on goal planning and time management, and the chapters on self-help techniques, changing client’s lifestyles and running anxiety management groups should further reduce the prescribing of sedatives and tranquillizers.