OCD and the True Story of a Life Lost in Thought The Man Who Couldn't Stop (Hardback) - Common

by David Adam

Excellent Book

Hardcover

About the author

David Adam (b. 1936) was a British priest and author and one of the best-loved figures in Celtic Spirituality.


Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Courtney Steiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is as informative as a textbook but so much more enjoyable! I am very impressed with the writing style and how articulately the author communicates complex thoughts. He expertly intertwines history, politics, research, science, and personal experience. The ideas and feelings discussed are hard and uncomfortable, but effectively communicate the poor quality of life experienced by those diagnosed with OCD. I am absolutely delighted by what I learned, but ‘delightful’ is probably not the word I would use to describe the book as a whole.

OCD is diverse (the book suggests a spectrum) and certainly more severe than media portrayals suggest. It is unfortunate how misunderstood it is. The fact that individuals with OCD recognize that their thoughts are illogical but are still required to follow through with their self-inflicted rules makes OCD appear trivial and comical which unfortunately ignores the serious nature of the inability to ignore unwanted thoughts.

One of the most striking thoughts mentioned in the book is how individuals with obsessions about hurting someone are the least likely to actually hurt someone because the idea goes against everything they are as a person. Obsessions and compulsions only fall into the category of OCD if they are distressing and uncomfortable, something the individual considers unwanted, immoral, or despicable (interesting when considering psychopaths/sociopaths). However, seeking help for unwanted thoughts of hurting someone often reflects poorly on the individual. They are then viewed as dangerous when they in fact fear knowingly (or unknowingly) endangering anyone, and then are controlled by that fear.

I was very intrigued by the chapter on religion and OCD, often referred to as scrupulosity. Thought-action fusion (thinking about doing is the equivalent of actually doing) and the thought suppression that follows likely contributes to the development of OCD and is often encouraged in various religions. Suppressing a thought attaches meaning to the thought and it is then more likely to reappear in the stream of consciousness.
I often have to remind myself that my first thought/reaction does not define me, it is what I do about it that matters. Some thoughts surface unprovoked and seemingly out of the blue and I wonder how I allowed myself to conjure up something of that nature. This book reminds us that intrusive and unwanted thoughts are universal. They do not define the individual. Thinking is not the same as doing.

The conclusion that recovery from OCD is more like remission from cancer or sobriety from alcohol is heartbreaking. You’re only ever so many days post a relapse which can be triggered unexpectedly.

I absolutely loved this book.

[Claire Binkley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not a clinical psychologist but I have interviewed some psychiatrists and psychologists in the past. What I would have liked more from this book would have been an index. I think many people who have visited this field know the story about the man who has had a stick rammed through his skull.

This book reads like something written by someone who is recovering from the disorder it is describing.
There are a few resources in this book available for it and a few other problems, such as PTSD and anorexia.

The reason I wasn't as fond of it this time as the first time I read it was that I moved on past my fixation which was discussed before I stopped reading it the first time.