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Reading about Self-Help Books on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Anxiety
Mansell W
Psychiatric Bulletin. 2007;31:238-240.
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Abstract
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evolving term. Having emerged in the 1970s and 80s as an imperfect amalgam of cognitive therapy and behaviour therapy, it is by its very nature a changing entity. Today it means something very different to a generation ago. Alongside the development of CBT has been the change in self-help books that use CBT principles, and the treatment of anxiety is a prime example of this evolution. There is now a huge range of self-help materials to choose from, and both service users and professionals can find the choice overwhelming. In this article, I hope to select some of the more pertinent, popular and helpful publications. First I will describe some data from service users that provides their perspective on this issue, then I will describe the properties of a good self-help guide and give some examples. I will end the article with recommendations for further relevant self-help resources.