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

by Judith L. Rapoport and Judith L. [MD] Rappaport

Book Overview

In this classic study of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a distinguished psychiatrist offers hope and help for those suffering from mental illness, suggesting pathways forward through behavioral therapies and mediation.

Drawing on the extraordinary experiences of her patients, Dr. Judith Rapoport unravels the mysteries surrounding OCD, an emotionally crippling affliction that affects millions of Americans. The Boy Who Couldn't...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452263654
• ISBN13: 9780452263659
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Penguin Adult Hc/Tr
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 2.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

The book that brought OCD awareness into the public

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.

The author was a pioneer in the study of OCD

Some of the other reviews down this book, saying it is out of date, but it was written in the 1980's. Dr. Rapoport brought relief to millions suffering from OCD. I did not find it depressing at all. She worked with both children and adults. The stories from the patients are both helpful and fascinating. At the time there was only one drug approved for OCD. And she introduced it to millions suffering. Prozac was mentioned in her book but it was not approved for OCD at the time of her publishing. If you read later books on OCD, Ms. Rapoport is mentioned and is quoted in about 80% of them! She was the first to write a book just about OCD. It was extremely helpful! She had stories about actual patients of hers and the agony they and their families had gone through until the drug Anafranil was approved by the FDA. Yes, it is now outdated. But it was the first and the best of its time.

A wonderful book!!!!!!

I would highly recomend this book to anyone who knows of or is going through Obessive Compulsive Disorder themselves. It is a wonderful tool to try to understand the thoughts and feelings of a person with Obessive Compulsive Disorder.

A good description of the problem and some solutions

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.

giving voice to our suffering

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.