Occasionally I'm asked to recommend a book from the popular psychology literature about a specific concern. In those moments, I often find myself thinking hard (a little too hard, perhaps) for said book, so finally I just decided to put together a modest list that I could refer people to.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it's not intended to be. It's simply a list of favorite books or books that are easily overlooked.
Anxiety
Don’t Panic by Reid Wilson. If I had to pick out one book on panic attacks, it’d be this one. Everything you need to know about panic attacks in one book. Click here for his website.
Worry by Edward M. Hallowell. He's also written popular books on ADHD. Click here for his website.
Living Fully with Shyness and Social Anxiety by Erika B. Hilliard, MSW.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (adults)
Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Russell Barkley, PhD. Practical information from perhaps the foremost authority on the subject. Accessible and practical. For more info, see his website.
Pathogenic Beliefs
Reinventing Your Life by Jeffery Young and Janet Klosko. If you want to look beyond symptoms, and into the deeper templates of your psyche, this is an excellent read. It based on something called Schema Therapy. Schema are like packets of cognitive, emotional, and memory information that help us process the world.
Depression
Undoing Depression by Richard O’ Connor. There are scores of good books on depression, but this one is often overlooked. I like it primarily because the author passes on the benefit of his wisdom about how to cope with depression. You can also check out his website.
I Don’t Want to Talk About It by Terrence Real. This is an excellent book about MEN and depression.
Feeling Good: the new Mood Therapy by David Burns.
Marriage
Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman, one of the world’s leading researchers on marriage and marital therapy. Virtually any book by him is worth reading. His insights are based on years of longitudinal research. This book in particular is filled with practical advice.
Passionate Marriage by David Schnarch. This is a book about sex and intimacy. There are no pictures, just provocative ideas from a leading marriage/sex therapist. For more information, check out his website.
Intimate Partners by Maggie Scarf. This book is about marriage and marriage problems by an award winning journalist. Though it is written for a general audience, it is not light reading. Maggie has continued to write about marriage and has other books out. You can visit her website here.
Optimal Experience & Happiness
Flow: the psychology of optimal experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. If I had to pick up my favorite psychology book written for laypersons, this one is it. Frankly, this book changed my life.
Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman. This is an excellent book. Well written, thought provoking.
Happier by Tal Ben-Shaha This author taught one of Harvard’s most popular classes.
The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin’s blog. She is not a mental health professional, but her tips on happiness and life are insightful, honest, and helpful.
Time Management
Getting Things Done by David Allen. Most of the time management books I’ve seen are top-down driven; they help you sort our your priorities to help you manage your time. But David Allen starts from the ground up; he wants you to FIRST work on your processes for you how you get things down. Practical, sensible advice.
Vocation & Personal Strengths
Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck. This book is about discovering your life path or vocation. It’s insightful, but also funny.
Now, Discover Your Strengths by Markus Buckingham and Donald Clifton. I’ve mention this book in my blog. Frequently people they’re not sure what their personal strengths are. This book is a result of years of research by the Gallop poll people. It will help you identify and channel your personal strengths.
How to find Work You Love by Laurence G. Boldt. This is a wonderful little book: insightful, concise, and yet practical. It’s the lite version of his large book, Zen and the Art of Making a Living, which is also helpful though much longer and infused with, as the title suggests, a touch of zen. You can find his website here.