Description
Book SynopsisJason Schnittker investigates the social, cultural, medical, and scientific underpinnings of the modern mental state. He explores how anxiety has been understood from the late nineteenth century to the present day and why it has assumed a more central position in how we think about mental health.
Trade ReviewFew sociologists have examined the phenomenon of anxiety. In
Unnerved, Schnittker provides the most detailed sociological examination of anxiety, the most extensive discussion of the differences between anxiety and depression, and the most comprehensive empirical study of how social factors are related to anxiety that has yet been written. -- Allan Horwitz, author of
Anxiety: A Short HistoryUnnerved is a beautifully executed social epidemiology of anxiety in the United States. Schnittker takes as a starting point the large cohort differences in anxiety, which he analyzes with acute sociological insight. In doing so, he not only teaches us about the social sources of anxiety but also reveals much about our changing society. -- Bruce Link, coeditor of
The Oxford Handbook of Stigma, Discrimination, and HealthWith clear prose, empirical rigor, and a keen sociological eye, Schnittker has written a masterful synthesis of the research on anxiety.
Unnerved reveals that, yes, we are truly living in an age of anxiety. Anyone interested in anxiety, its history, and its social determinants would be wise to start with this book. -- Owen Whooley, author of
On the Heels of Ignorance: Psychiatry and the Politics of Not KnowingSchnittker's research provides a useful model for those aiming to responsibly examine the social determinants of anxiety and other mental illnesses. * H-Sci-Med-Tech *
A valuable addition to the sociologist's bookshelf, offering a clear and comprehensive overview of that elusive thing we call anxiety. * Social Forces *
Table of Contents1. The Significance and Meaning of Anxiety
2. A Late Modern History of Anxiety
3. The Evolving Science of Anxiety and Depression
4. Anxiety Disorders in the United States
5. Family Change and Cohort Differences in Anxiety
6. The Decline in Religious Participation
7. Uncertain Attachments
8. Status Anxiety and Growing Inequality
9. The Ascent of Anxiety as a Therapeutic Target
10. The Past, Present, and Future of Fear
Methodological Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index
