Author: Jared Dougles Kant with Martin Franklin and Linda Wasmer Andrews
Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: OCD/ anxiety
Year of Publication: 2008
Publisher & Location: Oxford University press: New York
ISBN#: 978-0-19-531689-6
Target Age Level: High school- adult
# of Pages:169
Quality of Illustrations: NA
Brief Summary:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects an estimated 2.2 million Americans, and in this introduction to the illness, written for older teenagers and young adults, Kant provides a personal account of his OCD experience. He relates how even the most mundane activities may be permeated by depression and terror, recalling for instance how changing for gym class in school was fraught with anxiety. Kant shows how patience, perseverance, empathetic parents and friends, and, especially, good treatment-medication and a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy known as Exposure and Response Prevention-helped him flourish as a college student. He is aided, particularly in providing more in-depth clinical information, by Franklin (clinical director, Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety) and freelance health and psychology writer Andrews (co-author, If Your Adolescent Has an Anxiety Disorder). The authors address a host of practical questions, including educating others about OCD, how those experiencing OCD can divert themselves from the disorder (through regular exercise, among other strategies), and adjusting to life in college. In the sometimes jargon-ridden mental health world, it's refreshing to see a book that is so succinct, straightforward, reasonably priced and helpful.
Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children:
It is intended for an older audiance. I think it would be great for friends and family of children suffering from OCD as well.
Activitiy:
I might have the child with OCD write a daily diary of their experiances. and then as we read the book we can compair their experiances to the authors.
