Obsessive Compulsive Disorders: Treating and Understanding Crippling Habits

Wish I had found this book years ago. It has been of immense value to our family, and, thankfully, put us on the road to full recovery. For those determined to be problem SOLVERS, this is one of the best medical-related books you could ever buy. Highly recommended!

This book has not only helped me to understand my own disorder but to also try to overcome it. I can see how parents find this book offensive but really they read the book as a parent not as a caring person trying to understand. Yes a chemical imbalance can help to have caused OCD but underparenting can also play a big role. It frustrates me to hear parents say they had nothing to do with their child's disorder because right now i'm struggling with my parents because they still blame me for the things i had to go through and are still trying to change all I am even the part of me that is not controlled by my disorder rather than try to change themselves as well which has only made matters worse. Yes it may hurt a parent to hear they had a part in their child's disorder but it also hurts the child to be blamed for something they don't really understand themselves. But once you can see that you must change as well you can greatly help your child and make them feel loved rather than blamed. Steven Levenkron's books have gotten me through so much, he not only helped me understand my self-mutilation and help me through the recovery process in the book cutting but has also stopped my anorexia before i had severe medical problems, this book on OCD has helped me have a greater understanding of what i'm going through because none of my counselors or even during my hospitalization did anyone bother to look at the full picture and explain to me what's going on. I strongly advice you to read this book, it can open your eyes and help you see the full picture.

As someone who has suffered from OCD and eating disorders, and who has also lived with someone who had OCD, I found this book to be very valuable. I can see where parents might take offense in cases where there is a strong biochemical predisposition. But the reality is that much of what Levenkron says about children who have had to play the role of the parent (underparenting) is completely true. The repetive behaviors and thoughts help to create a structure and order to the world that we did not experience as children. That is not to say that his theory is an exclusive explanation of this disorder. It will apply or be "true" for some cases and not for others. It is definitely worth considering, especially if you are somone afflicted with this disorder to any degree. And remember, people thought Levenkron was way off with his nuturant-authoritative approach described in his ground breaking book, Treating and Overcoming Anorexia Nervosa, and now it is practically a classic.