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37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very Frustrating, October 19, 2007
This review is from: Talking Back to OCD: The Program That Helps Kids and Teens Say "No Way" -- and Parents Say "Way to Go" (Paperback)
This book was so frustrating. There were some good ideas here and there, but they were few and far between. As another reviewer mentioned, the program is convoluted and hard to follow. It was often difficult to understand exactly what the point of each step was and what the "homework" entailed. There were useful "summary sheets" for each chapter, but they were hidden in the back of the book. This kind of thing happened a lot--things seemed to be out of order. Several times, I had a question about something I read, and would only find the answer to it in a much later chapter. Other times, something would be mentioned seemingly in passing, only to have it turn out to be of great importance. It seemed to me that this program would be very hard to follow from beginning to end.
Another thing that bothered me was that, while the book is purportedly for kids and teens, most of the content seemed written for very young children. The most annoying thing was the way the authors constantly referred to obsessions as "brain hiccups" (It was not uncommon to find the word "hiccup" four times in one paragraph), but there was also a seemingly endless stream of "kid-friendly" analogies that felt patronizing. "Your 'brainpower techniques' should roll off your tongue as smoothly as your explanations for why your chores aren't done or what happened to that homework that was supposed to be turned in today," reads one irritating passage. Weirdly enough, the same chapter contained sample "task lists" that seemed copied from a program for adults; one sample task for a person with "moral scrupulosity" OCD was described as "looking at porn sites online without praying". I'll admit that, after four chapters of "hiccups" and lame sports metaphors, this was pretty jarring for me.
Finally, as a warning to people who are considering buying this, I should mention that there is an excessive number of testimonials and stories from other kids who have gone through the program. These are obviously intended to inspire camaraderie, but for kids who are triggered by reading about other people's rituals, they can be a disaster. Sure, there are some instances where a concept can't be explained without an example, but I really don't see the need for the book to contain detailed "example lists" of rituals, or a descriptive passage about how one girl had to wash her hands ("one finger at a time, starting with her right thumb"). My daughter became hysterically anxious reading about all these other people's symptoms and was very afraid for a while that she would develop some of them.
Overall, I would obviously not recommend this book. If the basic ideas (which are solid) could be put in a more readable format, it would have been much better. If you're reading this, you were probably hoping for a program that your child could do herself, but between the distracting examples and metaphors and the confusing layout (not to mention the odd reference to porn sites), this isn't it.
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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Consider this before you buy....., July 10, 2007
This review is from: Talking Back to OCD: The Program That Helps Kids and Teens Say "No Way" -- and Parents Say "Way to Go" (Paperback)
I have watched a child endure OCD for 6 years, trying medication, nutrients and formal cognitive behaviorial therapy with various improvements and exacerbations. With no disrespect to the author, this book is does not give any "new look" to OCD as the Part I is titled.
The author indicates that the child can assume responsibility for the "homework" to enage in CBT. That won't happen from reading this book. The content to kids is buried. Even my 16 year old honor student found it convoluted, repetitive and not engaging. And, he has had formal CBT therapy and tried to use the book as a refresher.
The hype on this book makes it sound "child-centered". That's a lure. It is definitely an adult read. In fact each chapter has extensive sections called "Instructions for Parents."
If you are looking for a book geared to a child or young adult with OCD to help them help themselves, this is not the one.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding book!, September 9, 2007
This review is from: Talking Back to OCD: The Program That Helps Kids and Teens Say "No Way" -- and Parents Say "Way to Go" (Paperback)
When we first realized our son was showing signs of OCD, we began to research any information that would somehow help us. We needed material that was practical and would give answers and guidance to enable us to get our son back.
We found this book and began working through the steps with our son. The explainations were clear. The quotes from other kids with OCD were encouraging. The layout was reader friendly. My son gave OCD a nickname as Dr. March suggests in his approach. He hated OCD as much as we all did for stealing so much of his time and causing such frustration. The blame was on "OCD" not my son as a person and this was a huge step forward.
I can hardly believe the progress we saw as we worked through this book. Slowly and steadily my son began to chip away at each obssesion/compulsion. He mapped them out and graphed the progress. It was a difficult task, but this book was like having Dr. March give my son and the whole family personal therapy at every turn.
We had looked at other material on OCD and even tried a therapist, but NOTHING compared to the information and tactics explained in this book. We have our son back! He's free again - free from the OCD! What more can I say?
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