The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing: The Experience and Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (Signet) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "In this chapter, a father, a psychologist with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and his wife, a social worker, talk about life with this illness and about looking..." (more)
Key Phrases: doubting disease, compulsive patients, washing rituals, Compulsive Personality Disorder, Dotty's Donuts, Father John (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disease that afflicts approximately four million Americans with a need to perform complex, pointless rituals, or to be completely preoccupied with petty thoughts. "Casebook, shocking report and support tool all in one, this excellent volume is highly readable and free of jargon," reported PW .
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

Up to six million Americans are afflicted with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a serious, emotionally crippling disease. Cleaning, counting, washing, checking, avoiding--these are just some of the rituals that sufferers are powerless to stop. Now an expert on OCD reveals breakthroughs in diagnosis, successful new behaviorist therapies, drug treatments, and more. HC: Plume.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Signet (December 3, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451172027
• ISBN-13: 978-0451172020
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #85,526 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good description of the problem and some solutions, July 16, 1998

By A Customer

This book contains well-written descriptions of obsessive-compulsive disorder -- it's informative, clear, and a pleasure to read. And for those of us who either suffer from these disorders or are close to someone who does, it's an eye-opener: you are NOT the only person who's ever had to deal with this problem, and there IS hope for curing it! For all these reasons, I highly recommend the book.
Two cautions, however:
(1) The book gave a good description of the ways of treating OCD as of the date it was written. Since then, however, there have been many new developments, so, if you're specifically interested in treatments, you'll need to look up some more recent books and articles.
(2) "Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder" (OCPD) is a related but different condition, and it's possible that someone who exhibits similar symptoms but doesn't have full-blown OCD suffers from this instead. (My mother has never gone in for compulsive hand-wash! ! ing, but she's rigid, intolerant, controlling, and a pack rat on a truly monumental scale. That's OCPD.) The treatments for the two conditions differ -- drugs are more helpful for OCD than OCPD, for example. As with any mental condition, it's absolutely necessary to have a thorough professional diagnosis; don't just march into your doctor's office demanding Prozac, or stock up on St. John's Wort at your local herbalist's.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars giving voice to our suffering, July 7, 1998

By A Customer

This is the first book talking about OCD published in my country (Italy). At that time OCD was almost totally unknown by people and often also by medicine, here. I've been suffering from severe OCD for 15 years and I couldn't trust my eyes! I read the book more and more times and it really helped me to feel less lonely with my desease. I appreciated both the careful scientific planning, coming from a great experience and the cases which are mentioned. I think they show perfectly what a person suffering from OCD feels and how deep is his pain. I gave this book to all my best friends and those who live by me and now I finally know they can understand me a little more. I'd recommend all obsessive-compulsive people to do the same!

P.S. I want to thank sincerly the author Dr.Rapoport and the Italian editor Bollati-Boringhieri who published the book in my country.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book that brought OCD awareness into the public, September 12, 2000

By	chris read (orange, virginia USA) - See all my reviews

This groundbreaking,informative,and entertaining book may not offer solutions to getting over obsessive compulsive disorder (though you may be able to by using the methods the victims in this book used),but it will Definitely let you know that you're not alone,and that other people have these ludicrous rituals and obsessive thoughts. The book is a bit dated (as other readers have noted,Anafranil is now available in the U.S.),but still an essential reading for every victim with OCD (no matter how severe the symptons). The book only costs $6.99,so even if it doesn't help you (I highly doubt this),it's not like you wasted $20. Other compelling OCD books are Getting Control by Lee Baer,and Brain Lock by Jeffrey Schwartz. As a final note:Good luck OCD victims on your recovery.