Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Guide

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has been a hidden epidemic. A federally funded study found that 1.3% of people interviewed at that time had experienced obsessive compulsive symptoms in the previous month and 2.5% had had the disorder sometime in their lives. While the severity of cases varies, at its worst the sufferer does nothing but compulsive rituals throughout all waking hours, often late into the night. Suffering from OCD can be substantially reduced because so much is now known about effective treatments. Here, Dr. Greist, an internationally recognized expert in the field, presents the basic information on the disorder. He includes checklists to evaluate symptoms and gives self-treatment suggestions. The questions answered here are those which have arisen in years of treating OCD patients. Whether the disorder is mild and can be self-treated or severe and requires professional intervention, this guide is a starting point for relief.

John H. Greist, M.D., is a Distinguished Senior Scientist at the Dean Foundation for Health, Research and Education in Middleton, Wisconsin, and Clincial Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison. He is also director of the Psychiatric Computing Laboratory and cofounder and codirector of the Lithium Information Center and the Obsessive Compulsive Information Center, both now at the Dean Foundation. His major clinical and research interests are anxiety and mood disorders, psychopharmacology, behavior therapy, and clinical applications of computer technology. In addition to numerous articles in professional journals and chapters in books, he has coauthored books such as Antidepressant Treatment, Depression and Its Treatment, Anxiety and Its Treatment, Primer of Lithium Therapy, Lithium Encyclopedia for Clinical Practice, Fearless Flying, and Run to Reality, and the patient booklets in this series, Antipsychotic Medications and Schizophrenia: A Guide, Carbamazepine and Manic Depression: A Guide, Divalproex and Manic Depression: A Guide (originally Valproate and Manic Depression: A Guide), Depression and Antidepressants: A Guide, Fearful Flyer's Guide, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Guide, Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia: A Guide, and Social Phobia: A Guide. Dr. Greist received his B.A. from Princeton University in 1961 and his M.D. from Indiana University in 1965. Following a medical internship at the University of Wisconsin, he completed residency training in internal medicine at the University of Wisconsin where he was chief resident in 1969-1970. In his final year of psychiatry residency at the University of Wisconsin (1970-1971), he was a fellow in child psychiatry; he joined the faculty of the department in 1971. Dr. Greist is board certified in psychiatry.