Stress is a universal phenomenon that impacts adversely on most people. This volume provides a readily accessible compendium that explains the phenomenon of stress, the neural, endocrine and molecular mechanisms involved, the clinical effects, and the impact on individuals and society. Clinical attention focuses on disorders of the stress control system (e.g. Cushing's Syndrome: Addison's Disease) and the adverse impact of stress on human physical and mental health . Detailed reviews address disorders such as PTSD, anxiety, major depression, psychoses and related disorders such as combat fatigue and burnout. The work covers interactions between stress and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, as well as stress-immune-inflammatory interactions in relation to cancer and autoimmune and viral diseases. Emphasis is also placed on the role of stress in obesity, hypertension, diabetes type II and other features of the metabolic syndrome which has now reached epidemic proportions in the USA and other countries.

• Chapters offer impressive scope with topics addressing animal studies, disaster, diurnal rhythms, drug effects and treatments, cognition and emotion, physical illness, psychopathology, immunology and inflammation, lab studies and tests, and psychological / biochemical / genetic aspects
• Richly illustrated with over 200 figures, 75 in color
• Priced affordably, this compendium of articles appeals to the end user interested in stress research who would not otherwise purchase the larger Encyclopedia of Stress
• Articles carefully selected by one of the world's most preeminent stress researchers and contributors represent the most outstanding scholarship in the field, with each chapter providing fully vetted and reliable expert knowledge

Stress is a universal phenomenon that impacts adversely on most people. This volume provides a readily accessible compendium that focuses on the physical and psychological consequences of stress for individuals and society. Clinical attention focuses on disorders of the stress control system (e.g. Cushing's Syndrome: Addison's Disease) and the adverse impact of stress on human physical and mental health. Detailed reviews address disorders such as PTSD, anxiety, major depression, psychoses and related disorders such as combat fatigue and burnout. The work covers interactions between stress and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, as well as stress-immune-inflammatory interactions in relation to cancer and autoimmune and viral diseases. Emphasis is also placed on the role of stress in obesity, hypertension, diabetes type II and other features of the metabolic syndrome which has now reached epidemic proportions in the USA and other countries.

Chapters offer impressive scope with topics addressing animal studies, disaster, diurnal rhythms, drug effects and treatments, cognition and emotion, physical illness, psychopathology, immunology and inflammation, lab studies and tests, and psychological / biochemical / genetic aspects

Richly illustrated in full color with over 200 figures

Articles carefully selected by one of the world's most preeminent stress researchers and contributors represent the most outstanding scholarship in the field, with each chapter providing fully vetted and reliable expert knowledge

Over 2500 years after the city's fall, the Babylon of ancient Iraq is still an evocative name. The stories of the Tower of Babel, the Hanging Gardens, Daniel in the Lions' Den, the madness of Nebuchadnezzar and the "city of sin" still resonate today. But how much do we really know of the original city and the reality behind the myths, traditions, and stories?

This lavishly illustrated volume sheds light for the first time on the true wonders of this ancient city and the echoes and images that have grown up around it over thousands of years. Babylon has carried complex and evolving meanings for artists through the ages and the authors bring together a wealth of art works inspired by this ancient city, from medieval manuscripts and major canvases to contemporary digital art. Alongside these later evocations of an imagined Babylon, the authors present the reality of the city: its kings, its history and its amazing structures, such as Nebuchadnezzar's magnificent state buildings with their famous glazed brick reliefs. They investigate the history, culture and religious life of the time, describing the Conquest of Jerusalem and the emergence of monotheism within Babylonian religion. They also demonstrate how ancient Babylon's legacy lives on today--in astronomy, astrology, and the origins of modern calendars and clocks. A final chapter considers the recent troubled history of the site of Babylon in today's Iraq.

This book is published to accompany the major exhibition "Babylon" at the British Museum and draws on three of the most important collections of artifacts from the ancient city of Babylon, at the British Museum itself, the Mus�e du Louvre, and the Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin.