- One boy spends six hours a day washing himself—and still can't believe he will ever be clean
- Another sufferer must check her stove hundreds of times daily to make sure she has turned it off
- And one woman, in an effort to ensure that her eyebrows are symmetrical, finally plucks out every hair

All of these people are suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), an emotionally crippling sickness that afflicts up to six million Americans. Cleaning, counting, washing, avoiding, checking—these are some of the pointless rituals that sufferers are powerless to stop. Now a distinguished psychiatrist and expert on OCD reveals exciting breakthroughs in diagnosis, succesful new behaviorist therapies and drug treatments, as well as lists of resources and references. Drawing on the extraordinary experiences of her patients, Dr. Judith Rapoport unravels the mysteries surrounding this irrational disorder . . . and provides prescriptions for action that promise hope and help. Selected Reading Questionnaire.

This book does an excellent job of explaining what it is like to have OCD, how it can be treated, and what might cause it (to the extent that that was known at the time of writing).

The author has done a significant amount of research on OCD and has also treated sufferers of OCD with a variety of techniques. Therefore she has both a scientific and a clinical understanding of the condition. She comes from an obsolete psychoanalytic background, but is intellectually honest enough to have realized the shortcomings of psychoanalysis. It was fascinating to follow the changes in her views on OCD and toward OCD sufferers. At the same time, enough of her quasi-literary, European training in psychoanalysis remains that her writing includes a variety of interesting discussions about OCD in history, literature, and film.

One fascinating feature of the book is the first-hand accounts by OCD sufferers that give great insight into what it is like to live with OCD and how it affects the families of sufferers.

The book was written in a transitional time in the history of OCD. Psychologists were only beginning to understand how common OCD is, its biological underpinnings, and possible treatment. The excitement of new discoveries comes across in the writing, but one can't help but worry that some of the information presented is somewhat dated.

This is not a self-help book. The author frequently discusses the merits of different treatments, but rarely goes into sufficient detail to actually implement those treatments. ( )