This book does an excellent job of explaining what it is like to have OCD, how it can be treated, and what might cause it (to the extent that that was known at the time of writing).

The author has done a significant amount of research on OCD and has also treated sufferers of OCD with a variety of techniques. Therefore she has both a scientific and a clinical understanding of the condition. She comes from an obsolete psychoanalytic background, but is intellectually honest enough to have realized the shortcomings of psychoanalysis. It was fascinating to follow the changes in her views on OCD and toward OCD sufferers. At the same time, enough of her quasi-literary, European training in psychoanalysis remains that her writing includes a variety of interesting discussions about OCD in history, literature, and film.

One fascinating feature of the book is the first-hand accounts by OCD sufferers that give great insight into what it is like to live with OCD and how it affects the families of sufferers.

The book was written in a transitional time in the history of OCD. Psychologists were only beginning to understand how common OCD is, its biological underpinnings, and possible treatment. The excitement of new discoveries comes across in the writing, but one can't help but worry that some of the information presented is somewhat dated.

This is not a self-help book. The author frequently discusses the merits of different treatments, but rarely goes into sufficient detail to actually implement those treatments. ( )