Anxious Geographies

Louise E. Boyle is an honorary research fellow in the School of Geographical and Earth Sciences at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. She has published in Social Science and Medicine and co-edited the forthcoming Routledge Handbook on Spaces of Mental Health and Well-Being (2024).

• Chapter 1 IntroductionIntroductionMotivation and aimsA note on terminologyResearching social anxietyStructure of this bookChapter 2 The medicalisation of anxious distressIntroductionA ‘neglected disorder’Social underpinnings of social anxietyConcluding remarksChapter 3: Situating social anxietyIntroductionGeographies of health and wellbeingSpatialitiesTemporalitiesRestrictive and disruptive temporalitiesLayered temporalitiesEmbodimentsEmbodied meaningEmbodied practicesConcluding remarksChapter 4: Temporal intensities: ruminations and anticipationsIntroductionRetroactivityAnticipationsRuminationsConcluding remarksChapter 5: Making sense of anxious experiences: self-diagnosis, diagnosis, and help-seekingIntroductionDiagnosing the selfBarriers to diagnosis and supportSeeking formal diagnosisAffirmative experiences of diagnosisNegative encountersMedical and therapeutic spacesConcluding remarksChapter 6: Spatialities of anxious experience I: Home and workplacesIntroductionHomeFragmented home spacesDomestic routinesAnticipatory objectsHousing conditionsWorkspacesConcluding remarksChapter 7: Spatialities of social anxiety II: Diminishing social worldsIntroductionFriendships and family relationsDifficulty and uncertaintyFewer opportunitiesEmotional workLoneliness and social isolationThird placesConsumer spacesPublic transportConcluding remarksChapter 8: The (un)habitual geographies of social anxietyIntroductionHabitThe disruption of everyday life(Un)habitual geographies of social anxietyManaging time and spaceSpatial routesSpatial screensMoments of escapeConcluding remarksAcknowledgmentChapter 9: Towards anxious geographiesReimagining social anxietyAnxious spatialitiesAnxious temporalitiesAnxious embodimentsAvenues for future researchRecommendations for policy and practiceUnsung impacts