Mind, Stress, and Emotions: The New Science of Mood

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Summary: One of the best books on stress and mood I have read yet.
Review: I heard about this book from a colleague (a psychologist) who has been recommending it to her patients. Like her, I found the book to be exceptional in every way - it is both fascinating and highly informative. The author has used a wide-ranging and richly integrative approach to the subject of human emotions, and the book is based on new research that has just been performed within the last five years or so. I was surprised by many of the more recent discoveries, particularly those that link childhood trauma to physiological changes in adult brain chemistry. Also exciting are the experiments that suggest new treatments for anxiety and affective disorders that emerge from these conditions. But even if readers are not interested in treatments, the book will be very engaging to those who simply want to grasp what modern science is now learning about human emotions. Overall, I highly recommend this book. It is written for the intelligent reader who wants to understand how different forms of stress alter immune function and emotions. The book stays true to the current scientific findings and at the same time, has the very nice feature of including sections for using the findings in practical ways. It's a fun read and will be very rewarding for those interested in learning about the science of mood and emotions.

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Summary: All of the recent discoveries in brain science
Review: Mind, Stress & Emotions: The New Science Of Mood by Gene Wallenstein (Neuroscience expert and Adjunct Professor, University of California - San Diego) provides the reader with an informative survey of all of the recent discoveries in brain science, immunology, and stress research, as well as new treatment strategies for mood and anxiety disorders. A well-rounded and thought-provoking examination of the science of human moods, written with technical descriptions yet phrased to accommodate and teach a non-specialist general reader about the workings of the brain, Mind, Stress & Emotions is strongly recommended for Psychology Studies reading lists and academic reference collections as an unusually informative, educational, and accessible survey.

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Summary: Excellent, insightful, and cutting edge:
Review: This is an exceptional book. It is written for the popular reader, but provides such rich information (with great pictures) as to allow a real understanding of how stress, mood, and immune function interact in the body and brain. I work in this field, and it has expanded so rapidly in the last few years, with significant new discoveries nearly every month. It is refreshing to find a book on mood and stress that has kept pace with the scientific findings and gone beyond the talk show descriptions. This is an absolutely indispensable work for patients, clinicians, students, and teachers alike.