Facts and Fictions in Mental Health

Hal Arkowitz is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona. He has published widely in the areas of anxiety, depression, resistance to change, and psychotherapy. A past editor of the Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, he maintains an active clinical practice as well as teaching courses on abnormal psychology, psychopathology, and psychotherapy at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.  Scott O. Lilienfeld is Professor of Psychology at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Lilienfeld has published over 200 articles, book chapters, and books on personality, personality assessment, anxiety disorders, psychiatric classification and diagnosis, pseudoscience in psychology, and evidence-based practices in clinical psychology. In addition, he has appeared on ABC’s 20/20, CNN, the CBS Evening News, and National Public Radio.

“With frequent references to popular media, Arkowitz and Lilienfeld cover a wide range of topics ranging from popular myths regarding diagnoses and psychopathology to whether animal-assisted therapies help, what to do about road rage, the use of electroshock therapy today, and whether lunar cycles can trigger odd behaviors … this book does an excellent job at offering easily digestible consumer-oriented information that debunks many popular myths related to mental health.”  PsycCRITIQUES, 62: 40 (2017)

• Notes on Authors xiPreface xiiiAcknowledgments xviiSection 1 Anxiety–Related Disorders 1Introduction 11 Why Do We Panic? 52 Does Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Require Trauma? 93 Clutter, Clutter, Everywhere: The Problem of Hoarding 144 Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for Anxiety: Taking a Closer Look 185 The Down Sides of Anti–Anxiety Medication 226 Is Mindfulness Good Medicine for Anxiety and Depression? 267 Can Herbs Ease Anxiety and Depression? 30Section 2 Mood Disorders 35Introduction 358 Bipolar Disorders and Creativity: Psychological Truth or Urban Legend? 379 Grief Without Tears? 4210 Is Depression Just Bad Chemistry? 4611 Four Myths About Suicide 5112 What Is the Best Treatment for Depression: Drugs, Psychotherapy, or Both? 5513 Can Antidepressants Cause Suicide? 6314 The Truth About Shock Therapy 70Section 3 Child and Adolescent Disorders 75Introduction 7515 Are Doctors Diagnosing Too Many Children With ADHD? 7916 Autism: An Epidemic? 8317 What Do We Know About Tourette’s Disorder? 8818 Do Children Get Bipolar Disorder? 9319 Kid Gloves for Young Offenders? 9720 Is Divorce Bad for Children? 101Section 4 Addictions 105Introduction 10521 The Truth About Pot 10722 Does Alcoholics Anonymous Work? 11223 Self–Help for Addictions 11724 How Destructive Is Internet Porn? 12125 Just Say No? 125Section 5 Externalizing Problems 129Introduction 12926 Road Rage: What Is It and What Can We Do About It? 13127 Once a Sex Offender, Always a Sex Offender: Maybe Not 13528 Are Men the More Belligerent Sex? 139Section 6 Personality Disorders 143Introduction 14329 A Dose of Narcissism can be Useful 14730 The Truth About Borderline Personality 15131 What “Psychopath” Means 155Section 7 Shattered Selves: Schizophrenia and Dissociative Identity Disorder 159Introduction 15932 Can People Have Multiple Personalities? 16133 How Violent are People with Mental Illness? 16634 Can People with Schizophrenia be Helped? 170Section 8 Popular Myths About the Brain and Behavior 175Introduction 17535 Uncovering “Brainscams” 17736 Is Hypnosis a Distinct Form of Consciousness? 18137 Memory in Old Age: Not a Lost Cause 185Section 9 Psychotherapy and Other Approaches to Change 189Introduction 18938 Are all Psychotherapies Created Equal? 19339 Do Self–Help Books Help? 19740 The “Just Do It!” Trap: Why Dr. Phil and Dr. Laura Won’t Solve Your Problems 20141 Can Animals Aid Therapy? 20542 Psychotherapy in the Public Eye 21043 Why Don’t People Change? 215Section 10 Other Myths 219Introduction 21944 Do Psychological Disorders Differ Across Cultures? 22145 Can Positive Thinking Be Negative? 22646 Does a Full Moon Really Trigger Strange Behavior? 23047 Do the Eyes Have It? Eyewitness Testimony Is Often Inaccurate 23548 The Insanity Defense on Trial 23949 How Much Does the Environment Contribute to Obesity? 24350 When Eating Becomes an Illness 24751 Self–Harm: The Cutting Edge 251Postscript: A Reader’s Guide to Baloney Detection 256Index 260