Under Pressure

Though anxiety has risen among young people overall, recent research studies confirm that it has skyrocketed in girls since the turn of the century. So what's to blame? And how can we help these girls?

In the same engaging, anecdotal style and reassuring tone that won over thousands of readers of her first book, Untangled, clinical psychologist Lisa Damour starts by examining the science of stress and anxiety. She then turns to the many facets of girls' lives where stress hits them hard: the parental expectations they face at home, pressures at school, social anxiety among their peers, and on social media. Exploring the multiple layers of girls' lives, Damour shows us the critical steps we can take to shield them from the toxic stress to which both our culture and also we, as their caregivers, subject them.

Readers familiar with Damour from Untangled or from her New York Times journalism will be drawn to this important new contribution to understanding and supporting today's girls – and tomorrow's young women.