Everything You Need to Know About OCD

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.

Dr Lynne Drummond is an internationally renowned psychiatrist and researcher, who has been helping people with OCD for over 40 years. In addition to her roles as Honorary Consultant and Visiting Professor, Dr Drummond also works extensively with various charities who offer help to people with OCD and their families, such as Triumph Over OCD and Phobias UK (TOP UK), OCD Action and OCD UK. Everything You Need to Know About OCD is her fourth book.

Preface; 1. What Is OCD and Is It Really a Problem?; 2. Who Gets OCD and How Would Anyone Know If They Had It?; 3. Types and Presentation of OCD; 4. Drug Treatment; 5. Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD; 6. Children and Adolescents with OCD; 7. Old Treatments, Modern Developments, New Research, and Potential Treatments for the Future; 8. Other Conditions Which Appear Similar to OCD; 9. What Can Family and Carers Do to Help a Person with OCD; 10. What can you do to help cope with your OCD?; 11. General Principles of Treatment; 12. How to Better Manage Your Symptoms Before and During Treatment; 13. Overcoming Fears of Contamination; 14. Fear of harm to self or others due to failure to act appropriately (fear of harm through an act of omission) and trying to obtain the 'just right' feeling and doubting the memory; 15. Fear of harm to self or others due to your own actions (or thoughts); 16. Overcoming 'Taboo' Obsessive Thoughts; 17. Loss of something (objects or part of 'self'); 18. Overcoming Obsessive-Compulsive Slowness, Perfectionism and Symmetry; 19. Overcoming Obsessive Ruminations (Sometimes known as Pure 'O'); 20. When the treatment doesn't go according to plan or even if it does, what to do next; Glossary; Resources; References.