The Man Who Couldn't Stop: OCD and the True Story of a Life Lost in Thought

The Man Who Couldn't Stop: OCD and the True Story of a Life Lost in Thought

by David Adam
The Man Who Couldn't Stop: OCD and the True Story of a Life Lost in Thought

The Man Who Couldn't Stop: OCD and the True Story of a Life Lost in Thought

by David Adam

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Overview

Unraveling the Power of Obsessive Thoughts

Dive into the complex world of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with this riveting narrative by acclaimed science writer, David Adam. The Man Who Couldn't Stop offers both a deep personal exploration of Adam's own twenty-year experience with OCD and an in-depth study of this widely misunderstood condition. Exquisitely balancing humor and urgency, this text is an unflinching look at how our neural networks can lead us astray, driving us towards obsession.

The poignant examples provided throughout the book—from a schoolgirl eating a wall of her house piece by piece to a man dying under his household junk—highlight the extremes of OCD to an uninitiated reader. Bridging the gap between science, history, and memoir, this book explores the nature of intrusive thoughts, how they can transform into a blinding blizzard of unwanted perceptions, and the fine line when a harmless preoccupation morphs into compulsion.

Serving as a haunting chronicle of personal torment, The Man Who Couldn't Stop brilliantly illuminates the darkest recesses of the human mind. Whether you’re a professional in the field of mental health, a student of psychology, or simply someone who seeks to understand more about the human condition, this book delivers an unforgettable, potent insight into the world of OCD and its implications.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780374710514
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date: 01/20/2015
Sold by: Macmillan
Format: eBook
Pages: 336
Sales rank: 208,517
File size: 362 KB

About the Author

Dr. David Adam is a writer and editor at Nature, the world’s leading scientific journal. Before that he was a specialist correspondent for The Guardian for several years, writing on science, medicine, and the environment. He has been named feature writer of the year by the Association of British Science Writers, and has reported from Antarctica, the Arctic, China, and the depths of the Amazon jungle. Adam is the author of The Man Who Couldn't Stop.
Dr. David Adam is a writer and editor at Nature, the world’s leading scientific journal. Before that he was a specialist correspondent for The Guardian for several years, writing on science, medicine, and the environment. He has been named feature writer of the year by the Association of British Science Writers, and has reported from Antarctica, the Arctic, China, and the depths of the Amazon jungle. Adam is the author of The Man Who Couldn't Stop.

Table of Contents

1 Our siege mentality 1

2 Bad thoughts 15

3 The mademoiselle and the Rat Man 39

4 An emerging obsession 61

5 The OCD family 81

6 Cruel to be kind 99

7 The God obsession 113

8 Animals and other relatives 133

9 Man hands on misery to man 151

10 The runaway brain 171

11 Daddy's little helper 189

12 The helicopter view 203

13 Long live lobotomy 221

14 Politics and prejudice 245

15 A new dimension 259

16 Final thoughts 279

Acknowledgements 291

Notes and references 293

Appendices 321

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