Soothe Your Nerves

August 1, 2003
In this self-help guide, Neal-Barnett (psychology, Kent State Univ.; coauthor, Forging Links: African American Children Clinical Developmental Perspectives) nicely blends her experiences in psychotherapy with her revealing perspective on the spiritual and cultural aspects of African American women. She explains that what is commonly referred to in the black community as "bad nerves" is now clinically defined by professionals as anxiety, which she differentiates from fear. Also described are the forms and causes of anxiety and fear-including panic attacks, social phobia, specific phobia, generalized anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder-and research on today's generation of medications. Readers will also find advice on selecting a professional (an important concern since African American female psychotherapists are extremely rare), interweaving religious beliefs with therapy, and setting up and correctly managing "sister circles." Ultimately, the author provides an excellent guide for African American women that doubles as a supplemental reference for helping professionals with that clientele. Highly recommended for all academic libraries supporting the helping professions and larger public libraries serving black women.-Dale Farris, Groves, TX

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.