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Don't F*cking Panic: The Shit They Don't Tell You in Therapy About Anxiety Disorder, Panic Attacks, & Depression
If you are one of the millions of people struggling to manage your mental health right now, stop whatever you are doing and read this interactive workbook created by comedian and mental health advocate, Kelsey Darragh. With a completely raw and honest approach to discussing, accepting, and managing debilitating anxiety, panic, and depression, Don’t F*cking Panic: The Shit They Don’t Tell You in Therapy About Anxiety Disorder, Panic Attacks, & Depression is a refreshing and often painfully hilarious guide to long-term recovery and healing. Whether you are experiencing a panic attack RIGHT NOW, or simply realize there is seemingly no end to how many ways your beautiful brain can mess up your day with uncool thoughts, this workbook is about to become your new best friend and a permanent resident on your bedside table.
368 pages, Paperback
First published December 20, 2020
832 people are currently reading
26772 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
February 1, 2021
Truly one of the best “Self Help” books I’ve ever read. I almost feel wrong calling it self help with the equal weight Darragh has at balancing fact with sources with personal anecdotes. While this book is filled with writing and stories, it also filled with MANY activities from reflection prompts, to colouring pages, anti-anxiety bingo boards and so much more!
Darragh does not write about her topics that they are a problem, detriment or from the disease framework either that many authors I find talk about these issues, but instead her writing feels like if you can identify with any of it, you’ve been admitted to a party with some tips to make the most of it.
I can not say enough good things about this book and imagine I will be coming back to try to absorb more in the future. I have already gifted one copy to someone who is loving it so far too, and imagine they will not be the only one receiving this great gift from me this year too!
Darragh does not write about her topics that they are a problem, detriment or from the disease framework either that many authors I find talk about these issues, but instead her writing feels like if you can identify with any of it, you’ve been admitted to a party with some tips to make the most of it.
I can not say enough good things about this book and imagine I will be coming back to try to absorb more in the future. I have already gifted one copy to someone who is loving it so far too, and imagine they will not be the only one receiving this great gift from me this year too!
April 7, 2021
This is such a great book for people who aren’t sure if therapy is the right place to start with their mental health journey. It touches on a lot of the small things people write off as just stress, and also doesn’t sugar coat the anxiety that comes from even attempting to work on self evaluation.
It’s definitely a book I’ll recommend to people.
It’s definitely a book I’ll recommend to people.
March 21, 2021
THIS BOOK CHANGED MY LIFE!
I struggle with anxiety and this book helped me. I like Kelsey have seeked professional help but the things I heard from Kelsey I've never heard before and I have learnt so much and because of that I feel so much more confident.
I struggle with anxiety and this book helped me. I like Kelsey have seeked professional help but the things I heard from Kelsey I've never heard before and I have learnt so much and because of that I feel so much more confident.
July 27, 2023
Fantastic self-help book on anxiety, panic attacks, and depression! Insightful, HELPFUL, and funny.
March 3, 2022
I was looking for a book that talked about mental health that I could recommend to friends who don’t want to read long books for therapists or academics. Turns out there aren’t many like that, so this seemed promising.
I can definitely say it has its heart in the right place. The author dropped out of three colleges, used to work for BuzzFeed, and describes herself as having always been a comedian, or goof. She also struggled with some pretty debilitating anxiety, which she will tell you all about, with the usual disclaimers in place that you should seek professional help.
She walks through several important concepts related to personality disorders (e.g., obsessive compulsive personality disorder) and clinical diagnoses (e.g., depersonalization, derealisation), peppered with stories from her own life, and questions to work through in each chapter. Most stories are honest, heartfelt, and there are some great anecdotes and analogies. If you don’t take anything else away from the book, you can at least appreciate how much others might struggle with mental health issues without you knowing.
I had dark moments when I reached for a therapist, for a combination of anxiety, depression, and shame from job loss and divorce. Those days are past me, so I didn’t find the book useful, but the workbook questions are legit techniques to practice and add to your mental hygiene toolbox. Given how hard it is to find a good therapist in most places, you would get far by practicing the questions and techniques in here.
The bad parts: the book skims over useful techniques like meditation and mindfulness, and dwells more on the prejudices the typical American might have against these techniques instead of their usefulness.
The writing (BuzzFeed-esque, pop-culture-esque) is distracting, with stream-of-consciousness quips peppered throughout more serious points. But in fairness, that is a hallmark of anxiety. Some people cope by making jokes to distract themselves or others from what they might be feeling. It makes for a difficult read, and infantilizes the reader and trivializes important issues.
Anyway; useful read with great intentions. 2-3 stars for me, but might be a treasure to others who don’t want a serious book about serious issues. If you like funny, trivial things to cope with heavy shit, it might be your jam.
I can definitely say it has its heart in the right place. The author dropped out of three colleges, used to work for BuzzFeed, and describes herself as having always been a comedian, or goof. She also struggled with some pretty debilitating anxiety, which she will tell you all about, with the usual disclaimers in place that you should seek professional help.
She walks through several important concepts related to personality disorders (e.g., obsessive compulsive personality disorder) and clinical diagnoses (e.g., depersonalization, derealisation), peppered with stories from her own life, and questions to work through in each chapter. Most stories are honest, heartfelt, and there are some great anecdotes and analogies. If you don’t take anything else away from the book, you can at least appreciate how much others might struggle with mental health issues without you knowing.
I had dark moments when I reached for a therapist, for a combination of anxiety, depression, and shame from job loss and divorce. Those days are past me, so I didn’t find the book useful, but the workbook questions are legit techniques to practice and add to your mental hygiene toolbox. Given how hard it is to find a good therapist in most places, you would get far by practicing the questions and techniques in here.
The bad parts: the book skims over useful techniques like meditation and mindfulness, and dwells more on the prejudices the typical American might have against these techniques instead of their usefulness.
The writing (BuzzFeed-esque, pop-culture-esque) is distracting, with stream-of-consciousness quips peppered throughout more serious points. But in fairness, that is a hallmark of anxiety. Some people cope by making jokes to distract themselves or others from what they might be feeling. It makes for a difficult read, and infantilizes the reader and trivializes important issues.
Anyway; useful read with great intentions. 2-3 stars for me, but might be a treasure to others who don’t want a serious book about serious issues. If you like funny, trivial things to cope with heavy shit, it might be your jam.
January 26, 2022
Most of this book was read through tears, I especially loved the section on depression as I have already spent a lot of time researching anxiety and panic disorders. This book discusses SO many tools and exercises that can be used on a daily basis to help manage mental health illnesses. LOVE. <3
August 3, 2023
At all, it’s a waste of time and money 370 pages for nothing, it’s full of wrong ideas, additionally the author had no scientific background with panic or psychology, so when finishing the book you’ll realize that you just got hustled. It might be a life changing and a great book for those who never read one before however I’ll say it and repeat it don’t buy it.
October 23, 2022
Dancing between 2 and 3 stars on this one. This book is an easy read. Really easy. Is it a good place to start if you're struggling with your mental health? Definitely. Is it a ground breaking self help book? Absolutely not! Kelsey is truly relatable and makes the reader feel 'not so alone' in their struggles. But everything has been said and done before. There's no ground breaking revelations. So if you're like me and you've read your fair share of self help books, this might not be the one for you.
July 7, 2021
I thought this book was very helpful and realistic. It was nice to be able to read a book from the perspective of a person that you know has been in your shoes.
May 19, 2024
A workbook-style self-help book that would be a great supplement to traditional therapy or helpful for those who have tried therapy and haven’t had anything click yet. The author comes from a very a personal place, sharing her own experience with anxiety and depression which creates a very relaxed and relatable vibe.
September 18, 2021
This shitty book fucking sucks. Nice try with the expletives in the title, that gimmick is played. This "author" cannot write, just wants your money.
November 25, 2022
Did not finish since I did not like the workbook aspect
September 5, 2023
I plan to purchase this book so I can write allllll in between the pages. This was a great workbook. Easy to read and understand.
September 29, 2023
I feel so understood lol
August 18, 2023
2★彡
writing style equivalent to a texting teenager
There may be a valuable message hidden somewhere beneath all the yelling (ALL CAPS), random #$@&!, swearing, and interrobangs. But the writing style was so distracting to the point of unreadable. The author’s a Buzzfeed writer, so i may have expected the book to read like an extended blog post, but this was more like an unhinged Twitter storm (X-storm, wtv)
Readers should get into this with the caution that the author is not a therapist/medical expert, but “a real person who has spent her whole life desperately and successfully managing her mental health daily” — which is the whole point and charm of the book. But i wish she didn’t cap off her anti-elitism and down-to-earthness by citing URLs right there on the page (wikipedia! psychologytoday! verywellmind!) — it’s a disservice to the readers who actually read this book instead of online articles.
And, of course, there are personal anecdotes. After all, the whole book basically hinges on “I know what you’re feeling, so trust me.” Some of her stories i felt entirely unsympathetic to, such as when she told her media-ed teacher to “take the tampon out of his ass, for fuck’s sake,” in front of a classroom of 30 students. You know, mental illness isn’t an excuse to treat others badly (source: healthline.com)
There are some good nuggets here and there, like workbook exercises and worth-to-try suggestions, but i’m not sure if the rewards were equal to the struggle of reading the book. A 2★ for her good intentions.
writing style equivalent to a texting teenager
There may be a valuable message hidden somewhere beneath all the yelling (ALL CAPS), random #$@&!, swearing, and interrobangs. But the writing style was so distracting to the point of unreadable. The author’s a Buzzfeed writer, so i may have expected the book to read like an extended blog post, but this was more like an unhinged Twitter storm (X-storm, wtv)
Readers should get into this with the caution that the author is not a therapist/medical expert, but “a real person who has spent her whole life desperately and successfully managing her mental health daily” — which is the whole point and charm of the book. But i wish she didn’t cap off her anti-elitism and down-to-earthness by citing URLs right there on the page (wikipedia! psychologytoday! verywellmind!) — it’s a disservice to the readers who actually read this book instead of online articles.
And, of course, there are personal anecdotes. After all, the whole book basically hinges on “I know what you’re feeling, so trust me.” Some of her stories i felt entirely unsympathetic to, such as when she told her media-ed teacher to “take the tampon out of his ass, for fuck’s sake,” in front of a classroom of 30 students. You know, mental illness isn’t an excuse to treat others badly (source: healthline.com)
There are some good nuggets here and there, like workbook exercises and worth-to-try suggestions, but i’m not sure if the rewards were equal to the struggle of reading the book. A 2★ for her good intentions.
December 1, 2021
I've spent a lot of time in middle school and high school watching Buzzfeed's videos and Kelsey was one of the producers there and often showed up in a lot of Buzzfeed's vids soo when she came out with a book i HAD to get my hands on it right this second. This book is hands-down my favorite book this year. Even though i've plan to read several books after this but i just know this is going to be one of my all time favs. Kelsey delivered her story based on her experience how she tackles her daily anxiety attacks and gave us tips and tricks how she manages to stay sane everyday even though its hard to get up out of bed every morning. For me the experience of reading this is more than just reading a self help book, its like having a fun chit-chat with your wise and freakishly funny bestfriend in a cafe and talk about your daily struggles. She's not a professional on mental heath (she pointed that a lot on her book) but god damn she's been through a lot (have i mentioned that she has 3 regular therapists?)!! I LOOOVE this book, its a little bit harder to find this in Indo (i ordered it from Amazon and it took 3 weeks to arrived!) but its worth every page! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
June 9, 2024
What the f*ck was dit?? Ontzettend irritante schrijfstijl, capslock, uitroeptekens, dik gedrukte woorden, emoticons.. Schrijfster vindt zichzelf vooral erg grappig. Hou. Op. Met. Mij. For obvious reasons heb ik dit boek niet uitgelezen.
July 5, 2023
A lot to put into words here. Where do I begin? Well… this book was hard as hell to get through. But I kept at it, and I did it! This book forced me to step outside my comfort zone and think about my mental illness in ways I never have before. It taught me how to break down emotions I’ve never really considered, and to not take shit from anyone (within reason). Kelsey is super, SUPER raw and honest and tell-all, and I appreciate that a lot about this book. She isn’t shy, she doesn’t refrain from telling the world about her embarrassing moments if she thinks it might help the reader feel a little less alone. It felt like, genuinely, having someone narrate the book who knew what the fuck they were talking about. Because they’ve lived through this stuff! They’ve dealt with it! Kelsey has seemed to have lived through it all. But she’s gotten stronger, and learned her value, and learned how to manage, and learned how to balance relationships with things as debilitating as depression and anxiety and eating disorders, and she’s lived to tell the tale. I think that’s super inspiring. I loved how much this book stopped me in my tracks to make sure I was relating her info dumps to my own life and experiences. And 9/10 times, I absolutely was. I was able to write out some of my deepest fears and insecurities with the confidence that no one else will ever access them, and I feel lighter for doing so. In fact, I feel much more ready to manage my mental illness around my boyfriend and my friends and my family, I feel more prepared to stand up for myself and demand my needs be met, I feel like I can say what I need and those who truly love me and care about me will make sure I have it, because they know I’ve put in the work and I’m doing what’s necessary for me to get by. I feel like I’m doing a lot of word dumping here, but this was such a personal read, so painful and heart-staking at times that it took me over three months to finish. Although it was difficult at times to keep going and indulging in such sensitive topics, and revisiting feelings I’d rather never think of again, I’m better for doing it and I’m grateful to have completed this book.
December 25, 2023
What a shitty book for a shitty year, what you would have said in an article you have said in a complete book, what a waste of time and money, and a typical best-seller book, a lot of propaganda but poor content. How could one dedicate their entire life to writing such a book about only having panic attacks, I mean yes but we all go through shitty times but don't over-traumatize yourself in this way by taking advantage of techniques and tricks to get everyone's attention to listen to what you are saying but.... you say nothing.
I barely would give it 1 out of 5 stars.
I barely would give it 1 out of 5 stars.
September 13, 2022
THIS. IS. SO. HELPFUL. i can't sit through a research book that carefully explains to me the chemistry of my brain, that i am traumatized, depressed, anxious, etc. what i can sit through is an ironic happy mumble that shows me how to make a 'panic kit', represents my knitting and crocheting as a good coping mechanism AND ACTUALLY GIVES ME RELATABLE TECHNIQUES ON HOW TO STOP A FUCKING ANXIETY ATTACK
April 12, 2023
Putting in the work to be better is hard. But the work doesn’t suck as much as wallowing, knowing what the problem is and letting go take over without a fight. This book made the hard work suck a little less. It wasn’t always relatable or giving life altering information, but it gave me a chuckle and some new tools to try out.
February 7, 2024
Across the absolute whirlwind of a workbook and all it entails; it quite literally sums up everything and anything surrounding mental struggles in a unique and wholesome way. A solid place to start for anyone wanting to understand themselves and those around them a little better.
This review is in no way biased since I know the author 🤷♂️
This review is in no way biased since I know the author 🤷♂️
December 13, 2024
Good place to start if you’ve never done therapy. But branding this book as things you won’t learn/hear in therapy is utter bullshit. Most of the book is the author reflecting and including random tasks/journaling that you could honestly find on TikTok. Given the branding for this book I had much higher expectations than what it ended up being
October 14, 2022
I’m never a big fan of self help books but I really enjoyed this one. It’s so raw and honest, I felt like I was talking to my therapist the whole time, except I could actually read what she was taking notes on.
January 2, 2023
3 stars.
good self help book, some of the tips are really great plus it comes with some printables than are very helpful. however it is a bit cringy at times and clicheist stuff from self help books, which i totally get but for me some of it was boring to read. i do recommend it if you’re struggling with anxiety/depression because it puts a fun note to it.
good self help book, some of the tips are really great plus it comes with some printables than are very helpful. however it is a bit cringy at times and clicheist stuff from self help books, which i totally get but for me some of it was boring to read. i do recommend it if you’re struggling with anxiety/depression because it puts a fun note to it.
September 11, 2022
This book has been a tremendous companion as I work my way through therapy for my anxiety disorder. It's chock-full of useful information on anxiety, depression, and panic (such as different types of therapy, strategies for managing a panic attack, etc.) and I loved the mix of journaling/reflection style exercises with more fun ones (like a connect the dots). While I love my therapist, reading about these issues from the perspective of someone who lives with them day by day and is so intimately familiar with them felt extremely validating on my bad days, and I truly admire Kelsey for putting so much of herself into this book and being so intensely vulnerable.
My only actual complaint about the book is that I did find the tone a little too glib at parts - the book was clearly written by someone who is very Online, which I found a bit hard to relate to or a bit eye-rolly in parts. But overall, this has been a great resource that has worked well alongside the more academic guide my therapist recommended - my copy is littered with sticky notes and underlining, and I plan to keep it close by as I continue working on myself.
My only actual complaint about the book is that I did find the tone a little too glib at parts - the book was clearly written by someone who is very Online, which I found a bit hard to relate to or a bit eye-rolly in parts. But overall, this has been a great resource that has worked well alongside the more academic guide my therapist recommended - my copy is littered with sticky notes and underlining, and I plan to keep it close by as I continue working on myself.
February 7, 2023
Easy to read with helpful tools, but I can’t deny the cringe that I felt at the Buzzfeed-esque writing. This is a good self help book, but nothing in it is really groundbreaking and it is VERY millenial.
June 30, 2023
Gostei das dicas e dos journal prompts apesar de serem muito senso comum, mas não gostei da escrita
June 1, 2025
ممل جدا
طريقة السرد سيئة جدا ومش منهجية وكلها افكار ذاتيه مش مستنده علي اي منطق غير وجهة نظر الكاتبه
واخدت وقت كتير علي ما خلصته
طريقة السرد سيئة جدا ومش منهجية وكلها افكار ذاتيه مش مستنده علي اي منطق غير وجهة نظر الكاتبه
واخدت وقت كتير علي ما خلصته
Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews