Everything You Need to Know About OCD

by Lynne M. Drummond, Laura J. Edwards

Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed by troublesome and persistent thoughts that make you feel anxious? Do you feel an urge to wash your hands repeatedly, or check appliances over and over, to help ease your anxiety? Do you feel panicked about what might happen if you did not perform these rituals? You may be struggling with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is a common, yet distressing condition, but one that is responsive to modern treatments. Everything You Need to Know About OCD gives you a comprehensive insight in to this condition, how to spot symptoms of it in yourself or a loved one, and outlines the treatment options available. The book features self-help chapters that guide you through Graded Exposure therapy, a highly effective psychological treatment for OCD. These chapters will equip you with strategies to banish unwanted thoughts and help you regain control of your life.

Genres: Psychology

324 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 23, 2022

Reviews

[Mord · Rating 4 out of 5]

FINALLY OUT OF MY READING SLUMP

as someone struggling to come to terms with my new diagnosis, i found this book to be really helpful at understanding what's going on as well as with ways of managing my symptoms!

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shares fairly comprehensive information about OCD, explaining the nature of the disorder, multiple possible causes, different sub-types, and ways to overcome it through exposure therapy, CBT, and lifestyle changes. The many case studies shared throughout are brief, represent a wide range of disorder sub-types, and are diverse in race, culture, and religion.

I particularly appreciated the author's clear explanation that even though OCD can seize upon religious themes, religious beliefs do not cause the disorder, and that other members of the same religion can clearly see that the OCD patient is taking things to an unhealthy extreme. The author encourages therapists to work with clergy members when necessary, to better understand a patient's beliefs and determine what kind of exposure therapies would be appropriate.

The author is an OCD expert, and her experience working with hospitalized OCD patients will make this book especially helpful for people who have such severe problems that they are not able to function normally in everyday life. However, in addition to addressing very severe forms of the disorder, she also includes information and examples that will help people with milder cases. She walks this balance well, helping people who are severely ill without making it likely that someone else would discount real symptoms just because they aren't as bad in comparison.

I had a few minor critiques as I read the book, but the only major one is that I would have appreciated a more detailed run-down of different subtypes. This author covers many different types of OCD, but because she lumps together multiple different thought-focused obsessional themes, she doesn't address them individually to the level that I would have liked.

Another important thing to mention is that because the author is from the UK, her resource lists are predominately focused on services that are available to people in the UK. She sometimes mentions a corresponding United States organization, but American readers will want to pursue resource lists elsewhere that are relevant to them.

Note: I received a temporary digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Rachael Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this book as an audio book. Written in 2022, it's a very up to date look at OCD with instructions on how to perform exposure therapy, medication, conditions that can occur with OCD and how the therapy could be adjusted if someone has other conditions or difficulties. It has lots of personal stories about different types of obsessions, and how the person dealt with their OCD or made some progress in their therapy. It also goes into related conditions such as hoarding. I am sure I'll refer to this book again while waiting for therapy and for guidance on how to do the exposures a therapist sets by myself. The notes she provides are very detailed and comprehensive. It goes into most of the different types of OCD. If you have OCD or want to understand it more, I would also suggest watching some of Lynne Drummond's talks on YouTube. The narrator is also very good and reads everything in a relaxed and professional sounding way.

[Torsten Schilinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful

[Elise Lj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn’t read whole thing. Just parts relevant to me. Educational.

[Paola Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

lo leí solo para entender si uno de mis pxs tenía toc jajsjjsj

[Nyla Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything You Need to Know About OCD by author Dr. Lynne M. Drummond with Laura J. Edwards is an eye opening book on OCD. I found it packed full of information and ideas for those dealing with OCD or a loved one that is.
This is a great resource to help someone improve their mental health, resiliency, and live a more full and happy life. I found a multitude of strategies, advice, and easy to implement ideas. I highly recommend this well researched, well organized, and well written book to anyone with questions or issues about OCD. It gets a 5 star rating from me. A copy was received from NetGalley, but these are my honest words.