Stop Obsessing! Book

ISBN: 9780553381177

(revised edition)

If you find yourself tormented by unwanted, disturbing thoughts or compelled to perform rigidly set actions to reduce your distress, you may be one of the millions of Americans who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It may be as mild as doubting whether you turned off the iron before leaving the house, or it may be as severe and disabling as washing your hands for hours each day. But whatever its degree, OCD is distressing, uncomfortable, and can disrupt your life or destroy your most important relationships.

DO ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS SOUND FAMILIAR?

• You tend to worry…and you can’t get the worrisome thoughts out of your mind
• You leave the house, but go back again and again to check whether you locked the door…turned off the stove…left the iron on
• You save years and years of old magazines and newspapers because someday you might need an article
• You repeat certain numbers or words in your head to feel “good” or “safe”
• You need to arrange objects – like the things on a shelf or in a drawer – in a certain way or in a special pattern
• You won’t use a public bathroom because you might be contaminated
• You get upset if other people touch your things
• You have violent, bizarre, or frightening thoughts or fear you might hurt someone you love

IF SO, THEN YOU MIGHT BE SUFFERING FROM AN OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER. FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN…STOP OBSESSING!

REGAIN CONTROL OVER YOUR LIFE

If you find yourself tormented by unwanted, disturbing thoughts or compelled to perform rigidly set actions to reduce your distress, you may be one of the millions of Americans who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It may be as mild as doubting whether you turned off the iron before leaving the house, or it may be as severe and disabling as washing your hands for hours each day. But whatever its degree, OCD is distressing, uncomfortable, and can disrupt your life or destroy your most important relationships.

Until recently, OCD was considered to be almost untreatable using conventional forms of therapy. Now it is known to be a highly treatable disorder using behavior therapy. Drs. Foa and Wilson, internationally renowned authorities on the treatment of anxiety disorders, have developed a revolutionary self-help program that can help relieve crippling obsessions and compulsions. In Stop Obsessing! you will discover:

• A series of questionnaires to help you analyze the severity of your obsessions and compulsions
• An initial self-help program to overcome milder symptoms and reduce more severe cases
• The most effective way to help you let go of your obsessions and gain control over your compulsions
• An intensive three-week program for anyone who spends more than two hours a day on obsessions or rituals
• Expert guidance in determining whether you need the added help of a professional

Stop Obsessing!’s powerful and reliable techniques have helped thousands of patients with OCD reduce or eliminate unwanted thoughts and rituals. Today, you or someone you love can recover and lead a normal life, free of excessive fears and worries. So why wait?

About the Authors

Edna B. Foa, Ph.D. is a professor of clinical psychology in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, and director of the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety. Dr. Foa has devoted her academic career to the study of the psychopathology and treatment of anxiety disorders, primarily obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social phobia, and is currently one of the world’s leading experts in this area. Dr. Foa was the chair of the DSM-IV Subcommittee for OCD and co-chaired the DSM-IV Subcommittee for PTSD.

Dr. Foa has published several books and more than 250 articles and book chapters, and has lectured extensively around the world. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards and honors. Among them are the Distinguished Professor Award under the Fulbright Program for International Exchange of Scholars; the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Psychological Association, Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology; the first annual Outstanding Research Contribution Award presented by the Association for the Advancement of Behavioral Therapy; the Distinguished Scientific Contributions to the Clinical Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association; and a Lifetime Achievement Award Presented by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

R. Reid Wilson, Ph.D. directs the Anxiety Disorders Treatment Program in Chapel Hill and Durham, North Carolina. He is also Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Dr. Wilson specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders.  He designed and served as lead psychologist for American Airlines’ first national program for the fearful flier. Dr. Wilson is on the Board of Directors of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America. He served as Program Chair of the National Conferences on Anxiety Disorders from 1988-1991.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

PART 1: Understanding Your Problem

1. DO YOU HAVE OBSESSIONS OR COMPULSIONS?
2. THE LIVES OF OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVES:
   Washers and Cleaners; Checkers; Repeaters; Orderers; Hoarders; Thinking Ritualizers; Worriers; and Pure Obsessionals
3. PREPARING FOR YOUR SELF-HELP PROGRAM

PART II: The Initial Self-Help Program

1. MEETING THE CHALLENGES
2. LETTING GO OF WORRIES AND OBSESSIONS
3. MASTERING YOUR COMPULSIONS

PART III: The Intensive Three-Week Program

1. TREATMENT FOR RITUALIZERS
2. YOUR THREE-WEEK SELF-HELP PROGRAM
3. MEDICAL TREATMENT
4. GRADUATING FROM THE PROGRAM:Encouraging Stores from Recovered Obsessive-Compulsives

RESOURCES

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

INDEX