Overview
For most people, cleaning, worrying, and collecting are just optional activities that aren't given much thought. Sometimes overdoing it a little is bothersome to ourselves or others, but no big deal. For people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, these behaviors seriously interfere with daily living and can cause great distress. Long ago, most mental health professionals thought obsessive-compulsive disorder was untreatable. But thanks to decades of research into the disorder, there is now hope and help for people struggling with OCD.Synopsis
For most people, cleaning, worrying, and collecting are just optional activities that aren't given much thought. Sometimes overdoing it a little is bothersome to ourselves or others, but no big deal. For people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, these behaviors seriously interfere with daily living and can cause great distress. Long ago, most mental health professionals thought obsessive-compulsive disorder was untreatable. But thanks to decades of research into the disorder, there is now hope and help for people struggling with OCD.
Rollie Welch - VOYA
Acceptable as a source for school reports, this informative book summarizes the misunderstood behavioral symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The strange behaviors exhibited by sufferers of OCD will fascinate teens as they also discover that two hundred thousand children are diagnosed with the disorder. Defined as a neurobehavioral disorder, OCD causes adoption of behaviors that consume time, interfere with relationships, and interrupt daily functioning. Teens' attention will be drawn to the listing of categorical habits of OCD, such as washing and cleaning (some people with OCD wash their hands up to one hundred times a day), placing objects in perfect order, and constantly fearing catastrophes. Hypothetical stories featuring teens displaying signs of OCD are what make this book a suitable selection for school and public libraries serving young adults. Each section explains reasons why the OCD behavior developed-often due to school stress-and what the specific trigger was for that teen. After the situational synopsis, helpful suggestions are listed. It might surprise readers that psychotherapy and drugs are not recommended to assist people with the disorder. Support groups along with exposure and ritual prevention are mentioned as the most effective methods to counteract the disorder. With its reading level and content suitable for grades seven through ten, this book is a solid purchase for collections needing information on this engrossing topic. Librarians can also steer teens interested in reading more about OCD to fiction titles such as George Harrar's Not as Crazy as I Seem (Houghton Mifflin, 2003/VOYA June 2003) and Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Spencer Hesser (Delacorte,1998/VOYA December 1998). VOYA CODES: 4Q 2P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Twenty-First Century, 96p.; Index. Biblio., PLB. Ages 12 to 18.
Editorials
Children's Literature
Do you know what washers and cleaners are? How about hoarders or checkers? Could you possibly be one? Read more about these obsessions and other compulsions of a person with OCD in this well written book. Follow along and find out about the possible causes of OCD as well as the treatments available. Find out how Jason overcame his counting ritual with exposure and ritual prevention methods, one of the most effective methods for OCD. See how cognitive behavior therapy helped Nathan's fear of catching diseases become weaker. Discover how Lucy learns to triumph over her hoarding obsession. These stories and six others are part of this book to help explain this disorder. The authors have done an excellent job in describing OCD in plain, simple language so that anyone could understand what it is all about. Treatments and the impact OCD has on family and friends are also helpful to the reader. This book includes a glossary and web sites where the reader can find more information about OCD. Reading this book would be beneficial to teens and adults who have OCD or are in contact with someone with the disorder. 2003, Twenty-First Century Books, Ages 12 up.—Cathi I. White
VOYA
Acceptable as a source for school reports, this informative book summarizes the misunderstood behavioral symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The strange behaviors exhibited by sufferers of OCD will fascinate teens as they also discover that two hundred thousand children are diagnosed with the disorder. Defined as a neurobehavioral disorder, OCD causes adoption of behaviors that consume time, interfere with relationships, and interrupt daily functioning. Teens' attention will be drawn to the listing of categorical habits of OCD, such as washing and cleaning (some people with OCD wash their hands up to one hundred times a day), placing objects in perfect order, and constantly fearing catastrophes. Hypothetical stories featuring teens displaying signs of OCD are what make this book a suitable selection for school and public libraries serving young adults. Each section explains reasons why the OCD behavior developed-often due to school stress-and what the specific trigger was for that teen. After the situational synopsis, helpful suggestions are listed. It might surprise readers that psychotherapy and drugs are not recommended to assist people with the disorder. Support groups along with exposure and ritual prevention are mentioned as the most effective methods to counteract the disorder. With its reading level and content suitable for grades seven through ten, this book is a solid purchase for collections needing information on this engrossing topic. Librarians can also steer teens interested in reading more about OCD to fiction titles such as George Harrar's Not as Crazy as I Seem (Houghton Mifflin, 2003/VOYA June 2003) and Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Spencer Hesser (Delacorte,1998/VOYA December 1998). VOYA CODES: 4Q 2P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Twenty-First Century, 96p.; Index. Biblio., PLB. Ages 12 to 18.—Rollie Welch