Getting Control: Overcoming Your Obsessions and Compulsions

by Lee Baer

Six million Americans suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and they know firsthand the often devastating effects it has on their lives. Some symptoms, such as the nagging feeling you have left the stovetop burner on, can be mildly distracting. Yet others, like compulsive hand washing, the inability to throw anything out, or nerve-racking feelings of guilt, can be completely paralyzing and make it nearly impossible for sufferers to lead healthy lives. Dr. Lee Baer gives readers the tools to assess their own symptoms, set goals, and create therapeutic programs for themselves. He also helps readers differentiate between OCD and other psychological illnesses such as depression. From the latest treatments to important facts on the medications currently available and how they work, Getting Control is thorough, concise, and positive--a lifesaver for anyone whose well-being is affected by OCD.

Genres: Psychology, Mental Health, Self Help, Nonfiction, Health, Social Work

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Cherokee]

I am currently in the OCD program at McLeans hospital and was recommended this book. I am currently doing ERP with the counselors but think this book will be very helpful when I leave and am doing exposures on my own. I know for me I wouldn't have been able to apply the techniques in this book on my own initially, but it probably depends on the severity of your ocd.

[Jacquelyn Smith]

Overcoming your obsession and compulsions, a must have for me.

[Michelle]

One of my first non fiction Psych/Self-help book. Very informative and resourceful. Full and references too, not only for the person (OCD sufferer) but with people around them.
Helpful.

[Evil Secret Ninja]

This was a okay look at OCD and may of the treatments are still the same. Getting to the behavioral problems associated with OCD. I have to say it was a little over simplified. Treating any mental disorder is complicated and takes a lot of work on the part of the individual the therapist and any family, friends or helpers who are involved in it. Overall it was decent.

[Marwa]

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[Ishmael]

A decent, yet far from great book on OCD.

This book is a decent book on OCD, yet it makes some mistakes, and it is clearly antiquated.

Serious research on OCD and effective treatment methods for it only began in about the 1960's if I'm not mistaken. About 30 years before this book was first published. It is clear to me that this book hasn't been seriously updated much since its initial publish date, which means that there's been about 30 MORE years of research that has taken place since it was published. The result is that this book feels like it's missing about half of the research that's ever been done on OCD.

One grievous error that it makes is not clearly explaining that there is no 'pure O'. It needs to be pointed out that one can have non-visible compulsions which are all mental, such as ruminating over something, going over something again and again in one's mind, etc, etc, and that OCD always follows the same obsession-compulsion pattern. Yes, admittedly the general pattern of recovery is:

1. Patient gets obsession, then patient performs compulsion (start)
2. Patient gets obsession, then patient does not perform any compulsions
3. Patient gets no more obsession.

But we must be VERY CLEAR to distinguish that just because one has no VISIBLE compulsions, does not mean that they have NO compulsions.

'Pure O' is a false and misleading term, and should be tossed out.

[Carter Spillman]

really enjoyed this book as someone with a newer ocd diagnosis. really validating and empowering.