Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder For Dummies

The authors start by drawing a clear line: in everyday speech «obsession» means intense interest, and everyone knows baseball players' lucky rituals. In mental health, though, obsessions are recurring, unwanted, distressing thoughts, images or urges, and compulsions are the actions and rituals performed to relieve that distress. The basic test is simple: if they don't take up much time or seriously affect your quality of life, it isn't OCD.

Shame and the drive to avoid all risk are presented as OCD's two big problems. The book tackles shame bravely: thoughts such as finding a saint's statue sexually attractive, or an image of pushing someone into traffic at a crossing, horrify people with OCD. The authors' answer is reassuring: these thoughts have no basis in reality; they arise not because the person is bad but because the OCD-affected mind produces them, and people with OCD very rarely act on such thoughts. Throughout, the book uses the phrase «the OCD-affected mind» so readers don't identify themselves with the disorder.

On risk, the authors turn to dark humour, listing celebrities who died unexpectedly — French president Félix Faure, dancer Isadora Duncan, Sherwood Anderson, Tennessee Williams and actor Vic Morrow — to show that OCD rituals don't really remove risk. The media section is interesting too: TV shows hunting bacteria in hotel rooms and the boom in antibacterial products feed anxiety, while a Columbia University study found no difference in infectious illness between homes using antibacterial and ordinary cleaning products.

The book's practical core is exposure and response prevention (ERP). Readers build a fear ladder, face triggers step by step and refrain from compulsions. The end of the ERP chapter gives realistic advice for common problems: sessions should last 90–120 minutes, and you can step back a rung when progress stalls. Mental compulsions — counting in your head, repeating reassuring phrases — are the hardest, and the best strategy is to actively refocus on the disturbing thought. The authors also set limits: extreme or dangerous steps like «licking a toilet seat» are not recommended.

The medication chapter is balanced: SSRIs are the first choice for most people, clomipramine is an older alternative, and medication plus ERP may work better together. The book neither oversells nor scaremongers, and recommends deciding with a doctor. These sections are good for general information, though drug names reflect the US market.

Weaknesses: the book dates from 2008. Psychiatric classification has changed since — hoarding disorder, for example, is now a separate diagnosis. The Turkish translation also has some odd phrasing. Still, it is a clear, hopeful and practical starting point on OCD.

• Clear structure, icons and example stories in every chapter
• Forms and worksheets to fill in
• Language that reduces shame and separates the person from the disorder