Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder For Dummies

Charles H. Elliott, Laura L. Smith (Autoren)

Buch | Softcover

384 Seiten

2008
For Dummies (Verlag)
978-0-470-29331-7 (ISBN)

Infos

Arguably one of the most complex emotional disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is surprisingly common. Furthermore, most people at some time in their lives exhibit a smattering of OCD-like symptoms. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder For Dummies sorts out the otherwise curious and confusing world of obsessive compulsive disorder. Engaging and comprehensive, it explains the causes of OCD and describes the rainbow of OCD symptoms. The book shows readers whether OCD symptoms represent normal and trivial concerns (for example, a neat freak) or something that should be checked out by a mental health professional (for example, needing to wash hands so often that they become raw and red). In easy to understand steps, the authors lay out the latest treatments that have been proven to work for this disorder, and provide practical and real tools for living well long-term. Whether you or someone you care about has this disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder For Dummies gives you an empathic understanding of this fascinating yet treatable mental disorder.

Autor

Charles H. Elliott, Ph.D.  (Corrales, New Mexico) is a clinical psychologist and a Founding Fellow in the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. He is also a member of the faculty at Fielding Graduate University. He specializes in the treatment of adolescents and adults with obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, anger, depression, and personality disorders. He presents nationally and internationally on new developments in the assessment and therapy of emotional disorders. Laura L. Smith, Ph.D. (Corrales, New Mexico) is a clinical psychologist who specializes in the assessment and treatment of adults and children with obsessive compulsive disorder, as well as personality disorders, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and learning disorders. She is often asked to provide consultations to attorneys, school districts, and governmental agencies. She presents workshops on cognitive therapy and mental health issues to national and international audiences.

Inhalt

Introduction 1

About This Book 2

An Important Message to Our Readers 2

Conventions Used in This Book 2

What Not to Read 3

Foolish Assumptions 3

How This Book Is Organized 4

Part I: The Ins and Outs of OCD 4

Part II: Starting Down the Treatment Path 4

Part III: Overcoming OCD 4

Part IV: Targeting Specifi c Symptoms of OCD 5

Part V: Assisting Others with OCD 5

Part VI: The Part of Tens 5

Part VII: Appendixes 5

Icons Used in This Book 6

Where to Go from Here 6

Part I: The Ins and Outs of OCD 7

Chapter 1: Reviewing Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 9

What Is OCD? 10

Suffering shame 10

Wrestling with risk 11

Counting the Costs of OCD 12

Encouraging OCD through the Media 12

Exploring Treatment Options for OCD 14

Changing the way you think with CBT 15

Approaching OCD mindfully 15

Modifying behavior through ERP 16

Controlling OCD with medications 17

Helping People with OCD 18

Chapter 2: Scrutinizing OCD 21

Coming to Terms with What OCD Is 22

The OCD anxiety cycle 22

Thinking and believing 24

Inspecting impulses 25

Seeing the Two Sides of OCD 25

Obsessing about obsessions 26

Considering compulsions 28

Categorizing the Types of OCD 29

Doubts, fears, and uncertainties 30

Contamination, germs, and dirt 31

Collecting and hoarding 32

Shame, embarrassment, and inappropriate thoughts and behaviors 32

Superstitions and rituals 34

Symmetry and perfectionism 34

Separating OCD from Normal Worries 35

Getting to a Diagnosis of OCD 36

Avoiding self-diagnosis 37

Avoiding misdiagnosis 38

Chapter 3: Meeting the Relatives and Associates of OCD 39

Meeting the Relatives of OCD 40

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD): A seriously distorted self-image 40

Hyochondriasis: “I think I’m really sick” 42

Trichotillomania: Pulling your hair out 43

Ties and Tourette’s Syndrome: Involuntary sound and movements 44

Skin-picking and nail-biting 46

Eating disorders: Intense fear of fat 48

Impulse control disorders: Unstoppable bad habits 49

Recognizing Associates of OCD 50

Mood disorders 51

Anxiety disorders 51

Attention deficit disorders (ADD) 52

Substance abuse 52

Personality disorders 52

Chapter 4: Blaming the Brain for OCD 55

Looking at the Brain’s Role in OCD 55

Connecting genetics with OCD 56

Getting inside your head 56

Exploring Four Regions of the Brain 58

Hiding out with the hindbrain 58

Minding the midbrain 59

Deciphering the diencephalon 60

Finding the forebrain 60

Tracing the Brain’s Circuitry 62

Transmitting Thoughts between Brain Cells 64

Using electricity and chemicals to communicate 64

Singling out serotonin and dopamine 65

Chapter 5: Developing and Reinforcing OCD 67

Developing OCD as a Child or Adult 67

Developing OCD early 68

Developing OCD as an adult 72

Reinforcing OCD with Positives and Negatives 73

Supporting OCD with positive reinforcement 73

Supporting OCD with negative reinforcement 74

Combining positive and negative reinforcement: A double whammy 75

Worsening OCD with Bad Thinking 76

Exaggerating risk 78

Not accepting uncertainty 78

Needing everything perfect 79

Controlling thoughts 79

Being too responsible 79

Viewing thoughts as real 80

Thinking magically and illogically 80

Part II: Starting Down the Treatment Path 81

Chapter 6: Overcoming OCD Obstacles to Change 83

Realizing Resistance is Futile 83

Fearing treatment 84

Handicapping against treatment success 88

Believing the worst about yourself 91

Seeing that Resistance Can Be Overcome and Change Is Good 93

Embracing the process of change 93

Defeating self-handicapping 95

Dismantling change-blocking beliefs 98

Taking one step at a time 100

Chapter 7: Getting Help for OCD 101

Going After the Types of Help You Need 101

Educating yourself about OCD 102

Getting support from family, friends, and others 103

Choosing a professional to help you 104

Understanding What to Expect in Therapy 108

Keeping your therapy private 109

Digging deep into an OCD diagnosis 110

Speaking the truth to your therapist 111

Evaluating your therapist 111

Part III: Overcoming OCD 113

Chapter 8: Cleaning Up OCD Thinking with a CBT Reality Check 115

Realigning Interpretations with Reality 116

Seeing common types of OCD distortions 116

Using CBT to correct distorted thinking 116

Defeating unreasonable doubts 117

Ending exaggerating risk 121

Rethinking the idea that thoughts have real power 123

Unconfusing facts and feelings 125

Overcoming the need for perfection 126

Sidestepping obsessive thoughts 126

Letting go of feeling excessively responsible 128

Pushing Out OCD Thinking with New Narratives 131

Creating made-up, OCD-like stories 133

Writing down your OCD narratives 134

Assessing and rewriting OCD narratives 135

Chapter 9: Managing the OCD Mind 139

Separating Your Thoughts from Who You Are 139

Acquiring the Attitudes of Mindfulness 142

Making time to be mindful 142

Pursuing patience 143

Letting go of striving for striving’s sake 143

Discovering acceptance 144

Suspending judgment about emotions 145

Living in the now 146

Minding Meditation 148

Breathing meditation 148

Walking meditation 150

Chapter 10: Tackling OCD Behavior with ERP 153

Exposing the Basics and Benefits of ERP 153

Understanding why and how ERP works 154

Seeing the upsides and downsides of ERP 156

Exploring an alternative when ERP isn’t appropriate 157

Working through ERP Therapy 158

Determining your OCD theme 158

Tallying up your OCD triggers and assigning Ugh Factor Ratings 159

Placing your OCD triggers on an ERP staircase 162

Preparing to engage in ERP 166

Stepping up through your triggers with ERP 166

Managing the ERP Process 169

Knowing what’s cheating and what’s not 170

Troubleshooting ERP 171

Rewarding yourself 174

Limiting ERP 174

Chapter 11: Considering Medications for OCD 175

Deciding whether Medication Is Right for Your OCD 175

Getting a thorough check-up 176

Coming clean with your doctor about your health and medications 176

Looking at reasons for medicating your OCD 177

Understanding the side effects and risks of medications 179

Looking at Your OCD Medication Options 180

Seeking serotonin with SSRIs 181

Trying tricyclics 182

Adding other medications 182

Chapter 12: Responding to and Recovering from Relapse 185

Knowing the Risks of Relapse 186

Medication relapse rates 186

ERP relapse rates 187

CBT and mindfulness relapse rates 187

Responding Well to Relapse 187

Strategies for Reducing Relapse 188

Knowing the difference between a lapse and a relapse 189

Prolonging treatment 190

Phasing out your sessions gradually 191

Staging a fire drill 191

Remaining vigilant 192

Zeroing in on especially problematic beliefs 193

Recognizing events that trigger relapse 194

Part IV: Targeting Specific Symptoms of OCD 197

Chapter 13: Dealing with Doubting and Checking OCD 199

Defining Categories of Doubting 200

Harming your home through negligence 200

Harming others through negligence 201

Harming others with your car through negligence 202

Harming your health through negligence 203

Categorizing Approaches to Checking 204

Obvious or overt checking 204

Mental checking 204

Getting others to check 205

Taking Steps to Defeat Doubting and Control Checking 205

1 Searching for signals, triggers, and avoidance 205

2 Identifying obsessional doubts 206

3 Compiling compulsions 206

4 Disputing obsessional doubts 208

5 Applying ERP to doubting and checking 210

Chapter 14: Subduing OCD-Driven Shame 213

Surveying Shaming OCD 213

Being afraid of losing control 214

Questioning established sexual identity 217

Taking religious or moral beliefs to the extreme 218

Treating Shaming OCD 219

Changing OCD thinking by challenging the evidence 219

Using ERP to change shaming OCD behavior 221

Complementary Treatments for OCD Shaming 224

Revealing to others 224

Experimenting with being “off duty” 225

Experimenting with self-critical versus self-accepting views 226

Chapter 15: Messing with “Just So” OCD 227

Being Driven to Make Things “Just So” All the Time 227

Enforcing order and symmetry on life 229

Trying to get it right by repeating and redoing 230

Taking Steps to Change “Just So” OCD 231

Rearranging your thinking 232

Redoing your responses to repeating 235

Chapter 16: Throwing Out OCD: Hoarding 237

Defining Hoarding OCD 237

Describing characteristics of hoarding 238

Seeing the consequences of hoarding 239

Uncovering problems in thinking 241

Assembling uncommon collections 242

Treating Hoarding OCD 243

Tallying up the costs and benefits 244

Questioning beliefs about hoarding 246

Tackling thoughts that fuel accumulating 248

Learning to organize 249

Developing New Strategies for Keeping and Tossing Things 249

Resisting accumulating 250

Imagining tossing stuff out 250

Doing a real cleanup 251

Chapter 17: Shrinking Superstitious OCD 255

Seeing When Superstitions Constitute OCD 255

Revealing Common OCD Superstitions and Rituals 257

Changing Thinking about OCD Superstitions 259

Creating competing superstitions 260

Managing discomfort differently 262

Defl ating the Power of OCD Superstitions with ERP 263

Facing off with scary superstitions 263

Defeating the power of superstitious charms 264

Chapter 18: Uncovering OCD Accomplices 267

Concerning Counting 267

Miscounting on purpose 269

Resisting the act of counting 269

Taking Charge of Touching 270

Messing with your touching 270

Discontinuing touching 271

Doing Away with Doodling 271

Doodling in different ways 271

Denying the urge to doodle 272

Speeding Up Slowness 272

Mixing things up 273

Speeding things up 274

Chapter 19: Dealing with OCD-Related Impulsive Problems 275

Changing Behavior to Reduce Impulsive Problems 276

Increasing awareness of your impulsive problems 277

Relaxing away impulsive problems 277

Sidetracking impulsive problems with something different 280

Reinforcing positive gains in overcoming impulsive problems 281

Changing Thinking to Reduce Impulsive Problems 281

Finding reasons to change 282

Pushing hopelessness aside 282

Undoing unfairness worries 284

Designing supportive self-statements 284

Applying ERP to Impulsive Problems 284

Treating Impulsive Problems with Medication 285

Part V: Assisting Others with OCD 287

Chapter 20: Determining Whether Your Child Has OCD 289

Understanding Childhood OCD 289

Recognizing possible symptoms 290

Ruling out normal growth and health issues 291

Sorting through other childhood disorders 291

Observing the Effects of OCD 294

Having problems at home 294

Experiencing problems at school 295

Having difficulties with friends 295

Finding the Right Help for Your Child 296

Chapter 21: Helping Your Child Overcome OCD 297

Separating Who Your Child Is from the OCD 297

Helping Your Child and Working with the Therapist 299

Parenting differently and not being the therapist 299

Managing your emotions 301

Working with the therapist 301

Explaining OCD to Family, Friends, and Schoolmates 305

Chapter 22: Helping Family and Friends

Overcome OCD with Coaching 307

Discerning What It Takes to Be a Coach 307

Understanding how OCD challenges you 309

Assessing whether you’re the right person to coach 309

Knowing your limits 310

Applying Appropriate Coaching Techniques 310

Recognizing OCD’s dirty tricks 311

Coaching with kindness 312

Part VI: The Part of Tens 317

Chapter 23: Ten Quick OCD Tricks 319

Breathing Better 319

Considering a Delay 320

Distracting Yourself 320

Accepting Discomfort 320

Counting Every Exposure 321

Realizing It’s Not You, It’s Your OCD 321

Making Flashcards 321

Going to an Online Support Group 322

Minding Meditation 322

Taking a Hot Bath 322

Chapter 24: Ten Steps to Take After You Get Better 323

Forgiving Yourself 323

Searching for Meaning 324

Strengthening Family Ties 325

Finding Friends 325

Reaching Out to Others with OCD 325

Helping Others 326

Benefiting from Exercise 326

Learning New Skills 327

Pursuing Hobbies 327

Finding Healthy Pleasures 328

Chapter 25: Ten Dirty Little Secrets about Dirt 329

Defining Dirt 329

Living Dirt 329

Digging Dirt 330

Dirt Just Isn’t What It Used to Be 330

Chimps Who Eat Dirt 330

Speaking of Washing Off Dirt 330

Building with Dirt 331

People Who Eat Dirt 331

Kids Who Eat Dirt 331

Pica 332

Part VII: Appendixes 333

Appendix A: Resources For You Books about OCD for the Public 335

Books about OCD for Professionals 336

Books about Anxiety and Depression 336

Trusted Web Sites for OCD and Other Issues 337

Appendix B: Forms to Use Against OCD 339

Cost/Benefi t Analysis 339

Monitoring Self-Handicapping 340

Exposure Staircase 342

Climbing and Checking Your ERP Progress Form 342

Index 345

Produkt-Details

• Sprache: englisch
• Maße: 183 x 226 mm
• Gewicht: 499 g
• Themenwelt: Studium ► Querschnittsbereiche ► Prävention / Gesundheitsförderung
• ISBN-10: 0-470-29331-4 / 0470293314
• ISBN-13: 978-0-470-29331-7 / 9780470293317
• Zustand: Neuware