Overcoming Compulsive Checking: Free Your Mind from OCD

If you struggle with compulsive checking, one of the most common types of obsessive-compulsive disorder, you know some things all too well: the pain and frustration of feeling irresponsible and careless, the anxiety caused by the fear that you might hurt or offend someone and by living with the worry of criticism. But what you may not know is that there are things you can do—by yourself, at any time—to start feeling better. Most books on OCD focus on many types of this complex group of disorders. This book offers a program designed with you in mind, focusing just on your problem with checking.

Start with the book’s self-assessment tools, which will help you understand the scope of your particular problem. Then get ready to do something about it. Based on his decades of clinical experience, author Paul Munford has developed a treatment for compulsive checking called exposure, ritual prevention, and awareness therapy (ERPA), which is adapted in this book for you to use as a self-care approach. Through this process, you’ll learn to confront your fears and experiment with safe, controlled exposure to situations you’ve been avoiding. Once you’ve achieved security and peace of mind, find out how to maintain your progress and deal with particularly challenging situations.

This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit — an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.

Paul R. Munford, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and executive director of the Anxiety Treatment Center of Northern California. He is Clinical Professor in the department of psychiatry of the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, where he teaches cognitive behavior therapy. He sits on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation and is a member of the American Psychological Association, Anxiety Disorders Association of America and the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy.