Full Description
Morbid obsessions with sex, germs, or with one's appearance, and uncontrollable compulsions to hoard objects, to check and recheck locks, or to pull one's hair are just a few of the symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders, which afflict over ten million Americans. Many suffer in isolation, not knowing that their disorder has a name, how to seek help, or how to help themselves. Fully updated for this second edition, Dr. Fred Penzel discusses the entire spectrum of these disorders, from the classic form characterized by intrusive, repetitive, and often unpleasant thoughts, to body dysmorphic disorder ("imagined ugliness"), trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling), compulsive skin picking, and nail biting. He takes the reader through each step of the most effective behavioral therapies, detailing how progress is made and how to avoid relapse. He also offers a completely up-to-date discussion of medication-how it is used as part of the overall treatment, its effect on pregnancy, how to choose the best medicine, and how to know if it is working. In addition, Dr.
Penzel discusses the treatment of children with these disorders, offers helpful advice for the families of sufferers, and lists sources of help and information.
Contents
1. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders--What They Are
2. Behavioral Therapy: A Treatment That Works
3. Self-Help for OCSDs
4. Getting Proper Medical Treatment
5. OCSDs and Children
6. OCSDs and the Other People in Your Life
7. Recovery and Acceptance
8. Different Forms Obsessions Can Take
9. Different Forms Compulsions Can Take
10. OCSD--Or Not
11. Accompaniments to OCSDs
12. Causes and Contributing Factors of OCSDs
13. Finding Resources and Getting Help
Appendices
A. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptom Checklist
B. Trichotillomania, Skin Picking, and Nail Biting Symptom Checklist
C. Official DSM-V Diagnoses
D. OCSD Reading and Viewing List
E. Glossary
