The Fear Talking: The True Story of a Young Man and Anxiety

A self-help memoir that takes an unflinching look at a young man’s undiagnosed anxiety disorder and OCD.

Chris Westoby takes us inside his past self, a teenager from a small English town. He’s trying to be a good friend, student, son and boyfriend, but he struggles to be in company without wanting to hide. And things only get worse: it’s nearly impossible to take the bus to college without catching the next bus home. His obsessive germaphobia begins to destroy his life. How can one boy overcome all this? Chris gives an unflinching, raw account of his troubles and offers what he’s learnt.

This book is an outstretched hand to those fighting these same battles, or to anyone who’s watching someone else go through the same. The Fear Talking does not promise to solve your problems, but it shows you that you’re not alone. That’s all Chris ever wanted, really; to unflinchingly capture the warmth and darkness of the teenage years.

＂This is writing at its most fearless＂ - Matt Bright, Everybody’s Reviewing

＂Westoby gives a voice to teenagers unable to cope with everyday lfie... This is an essential read＂ - Paul Taylor-Mcartney, Writers in Education

Some Expert Reactions

＂Read this book, and you will never forget it. As a narrative it’s fascinating. As the memoir of a life lived with anxiety, it’s incomparable.＂ - Peter Draper, professor emeritus of Nursing Education, University of Hull

＂Anxiety is the most common form of mental distress and of course overlaps with normal human emotion. Yet it can be overwhelming and disabling and a gateway to other mental ill health notably depression and self-medication with alcohol and other substances. This engaging account throws a spotlight on how anxiety impacts on everyday life and relationships.＂ - Patrick McGorry, Professor of Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne

＂In The Fear Talking, Chris Westoby achieves the well-nigh impossible, giving us a fully immersive account of adolescent anxiety, allowing the reader to feel and experience with the narrator. If one of the main aims of the memoir form is to induce empathy in readers, Westoby’s memoir succeeds brilliantly. The reader comes away with a new and profound understanding of what mental illness feels like from within.＂ - Jonathan Taylor, Associate Professor Creative Writing, University of Leicester