Getting Control: Overcoming Your Obsessions and Compulsions

by Lee Baer

Thoroughly revised and updated—the go-to book for OCD sufferers who want to master their fears and take charge of their lives

The first comprehensive guide to treating obsessive compulsive disorder based on clinically proven behavioral therapy techniques, Dr. Lee Baer’s Getting Control has been providing OCD sufferers with information and relief for more than twenty years. In the same easy-to-understand format as the original, this updated edition

• Cutting-edge behavioral therapy techniques
• Breakthrough advances in neuroscience
• Brand new material on hoarding
• Expanded sections on how families can help OCD sufferers
• The latest diagnostic standards as outlined by the American Psychiatric Association
• A completely revised list of resources

OCD sufferers and their loved ones will find everything they need to assess their symptoms, set realistic goals, and create specific therapeutic exercises for managing this disorder.

Genres: Psychology, Mental Health, Self Help, Nonfiction, Health, Social Work

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Cherokee]

I am currently in the OCD program at McLeans hospital and was recommended this book. I am currently doing ERP with the counselors but think this book will be very helpful when I leave and am doing exposures on my own. I know for me I wouldn't have been able to apply the techniques in this book on my own initially, but it probably depends on the severity of your ocd.

[Jacquelyn Smith]

Overcoming your obsession and compulsions, a must have for me.

[Michelle]

One of my first non fiction Psych/Self-help book. Very informative and resourceful. Full and references too, not only for the person (OCD sufferer) but with people around them.
Helpful.

[Evil Secret Ninja]

This was a okay look at OCD and may of the treatments are still the same. Getting to the behavioral problems associated with OCD. I have to say it was a little over simplified. Treating any mental disorder is complicated and takes a lot of work on the part of the individual the therapist and any family, friends or helpers who are involved in it. Overall it was decent.

[Marwa]

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[Ishmael]

A decent, yet far from great book on OCD.

This book is a decent book on OCD, yet it makes some mistakes, and it is clearly antiquated.

Serious research on OCD and effective treatment methods for it only began in about the 1960's if I'm not mistaken. About 30 years before this book was first published. It is clear to me that this book hasn't been seriously updated much since its initial publish date, which means that there's been about 30 MORE years of research that has taken place since it was published. The result is that this book feels like it's missing about half of the research that's ever been done on OCD.

One grievous error that it makes is not clearly explaining that there is no 'pure O'. It needs to be pointed out that one can have non-visible compulsions which are all mental, such as ruminating over something, going over something again and again in one's mind, etc, etc, and that OCD always follows the same obsession-compulsion pattern. Yes, admittedly the general pattern of recovery is:

1. Patient gets obsession, then patient performs compulsion (start)
2. Patient gets obsession, then patient does not perform any compulsions
3. Patient gets no more obsession.

But we must be VERY CLEAR to distinguish that just because one has no VISIBLE compulsions, does not mean that they have NO compulsions.

'Pure O' is a false and misleading term, and should be tossed out.

[Carter Spillman]

really enjoyed this book as someone with a newer ocd diagnosis. really validating and empowering.