Phobias are intense fears that people often experience in regards to specific things or situations. A lot of the times, those fears are irrational. I personally have an intense, irrational fear and disgust in regards to whales. People who come into contact with some trigger are often sent into a state of panic. Manias are episodes of high excitement and energy that last for a prolonged period of time. I was less familiar with manias than phobias, so this book was a nice teaching tool for me in that respect. Both phobias and manias are common issues for a lot of people, and are treated frequently by mental health professionals.

I have read a couple of Kate Summerscale's books, and I have enjoyed and learned from every one of them. I was really looking forward to this one releasing. I typically enjoy books about different mental health issues, and, having had a few psychology classes before I switched majors, I read about several of the phobias mentioned. I liked that the overview of each one was brief, yet informative. I didn't want to waste a bunch of time on the ones that I was familiar with, but I did appreciate the refresher course. I very much enjoyed learning about the ones I had never heard of. I am pleased with this purchase. The cover art is also very nice.