Product Description

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is the fourth most common mental health problem in the West. Sufferers are plagued by a recurring thought or idea that just won't go away (the obsession) and are then crippled by a form of behaviour (the compulsion) to try to cope with their fear. For example people may fear being contaminated and so endlessly wash their hands, or they may fear disaster will strike at home and need to check the gas is turned off a hundred times before they are able to leave the house. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has been clinically proven to reduce the symptoms of OCD significantly for the majority of sufferers and in this book therapists Dr David Veale and Rob Willson provide a self-help approach to overcoming the condition. This accessible guide explains how readers can reduce the distress of intrusive thoughts, face fears and avoided situations, and overcome compulsions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8791 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
"'Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is... more effective as a treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder than medication. Most people who go through CBT will get a significant benefit in reduction of symptoms.' Dr James Claiborn, US Obsessive Compulsive Foundation"

Customer Reviews

Fingers Up For Me!
I spent the most secretive time of my life, the years 1986-2005 hiding away from what is now known to be a common disorder. I suffered intensively from OCD and I was diagnosed with depression and OCD in November 2005. For almost two decades suffering in silence I'm now on the road to recovery and enjoying life to the full.

I have read many OCD books over the years and I can honestly say that there have been a very few good ones out there but when I was presented with this book called "Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" I thought to myself it's just another one of these zillion self-help books but I was wrong. It held a thought of interest and captured a self belief , focusing on what I want and working out ways to make it happen and this grew every time when turning of the pages, I formed a personal connection with the true life stories in this book. All I can say, finally I have found a book I can relate to and now I can frankly say 'SPOT ON!' this book is the ultimate approach to self-help using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques. This book is ideal for teenagers as well as adults, my 14 year old niece had no difficulty reading and understanding this book. The book is well presented in-depth and is broken down into chapters and sections, any book written in Layman's terms is a win-win for me. The book incorporate NO bad philosophy and I would say is a yes-yes for young people as well as adults.

The least that it will do is enlighten you to the disorder...
After reading this book, there are two points that I would like to raise before I give you my overall opinion, so bear with me.

Structure: The structure of the book is not the best and at times may confuse an individual using it to overcome their Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. You have to keep referring to the appendix which is a section that probably amounts to one third of the book. You may need to read a few of the chapters twice before you get the understanding that you will need.

Spelling and grammar: There were problems with spelling and grammar throughout the book, which were annoying but didn't really create a massive problem.

My overall thoughts on this book is that it is an excellent resource for OCD sufferers and therapists alike. It is very rich with 'real' help and advice that is reasonably easy to implement. If you suffer from OCD or are a therapist that helps others with OCD then you really should make a commitment to yourself to read this book. The least that it will do is enlighten you to the disorder.

Warmly,

Richard MacKenzie
Author of Self-Change Hypnosis

For therapists and clients
This book is part of a very useful series published by Robinson, each of which looks at applying CBT to a particular area of Mental Health (Anxiety, Depression, Low Self-Esteem, Anger & Irritability etc). Each book is written by a leading practitioner/researcher in the particular area of concern. Having now worked with CBT for many years, I believe that it is at its most useful when dealing with some of these specific Mental and Behavioural Health issues.

Although they are written as self-help books, in my experience they can also be useful to therapists as a practical introduction to working with a problem area. In some cases, therapist and client can work together using the book as a resource. CBT is, after all, an educative process where therapist and client collaboratively discover what will work best for the client's improvement (indeed, all psychotherapy can be seen as a form of structured experiential learning). A book like this can be a useful map for a part of the journey.

In this particular book, David Veale and Rob Willson outline the nature of OCD and the CBT approach to working with it. They point out that the use of the word "obsession" in everyday usage is different from its meaning in the context of OCD. Here it refers to any distressing thought, image or urge, "...associated in the person's mind with the power to prevent harm occurring" (p. 10). Such obsessions are therefore associated with Safety-seeking Behaviours (an important concept in the CBT of any Anxiety Disorder) which tend to maintain the obsession.

Other important concepts described are
* The over-importance of thoughts.
* Inflated responsibility & Magical thinking.
* Overestimation of danger.
* Perfectionism.
* Attention biases.

In relation to recovery from OCD, the main approach described is that of Response Prevention, which has been well established in the evidence base for quite a long time as one of the most effective ways of working with these issues. Veale and Willson sum up the process as follows:
1. Develop a hierarchy of triggers
2. Face your fear
3. Make exposure long enough
4. Make exposure frequent enough
5. No anxiety-reducing strategies
6. If you do a ritual, repeat the exposure
7. Monitor progress


Other approaches described include the "Theory A & Theory B" approach, where different possible interpretations of the client's thoughts and feelings are tested using behavioural experiments, and Mindfulness Meditation, which is now being incorporated into CBT approaches to a number of problems, including Chronic Pain and Depression.

The authors also include some useful forms in the appendices, in relation to both assessment and treatment.