The Thought that Counts A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

by Kant, Jared; Franklin, Ph.D., Martin; Andrews, Linda Wasmer

• ISBN13: 9780195316896
• ISBN10: 0195316894
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-03-04
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (or OCD) at age 11, Jared Douglas Kant experienced many of the most excruciating manifestations of this difficult illness: dread of deadly germs and diseases, the unrelenting need to count and check things, and a persistent, nagging doubt that overshadowed every aspect of his life.

Author Biography

Jared Douglas Kant overcame great obstacles to graduate at the top of his college class in 2006. Today Jared works as a Clinical Research Assistant at the Massachusetts General Hospital Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Clinic and Research Unit. He speaks frequently about his experiences with OCD at conferences and academic institutions, and he contributes to Organized Chaos, the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation's website for teens and young adults.
Martin Franklin is Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, & Clinical Director, Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety.
Linda Wasmer Andrews is a freelance health and psychology writer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is the coauthor of If Your Adolescent Has an Anxiety Disorder: An Essential Resource for Parents as well as the author or co-author of numerous other books, including Stress Control for Peach of Mind. Her writing has appeared in magazines such as Self, Parenting, and Psychology Today.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xiii
On Second (and Third and Fourth) Thought: Obsessions and Compulsions	p. 3
My Story	p. 3
Diseases, Physical and Mental	p. 4
Disasters Waiting to Happen	p. 6
Less-Than-Happy Camper	p. 7
Invasion of the Mind Snatchers	p. 8
The Big Picture	p. 10
So What Exactly Is OCD?	p. 11
What Forms Can the Disorder Take?	p. 13
How Common Is OCD?	p. 19
What Causes the Disorder?	p. 20
What's the Least I Need to Know?	p. 26
Slippery Slope to the Hospital: Diagnosis and Hospitalization	p. 28
My Story	p. 28
Darkness Falls Early	p. 29
The World Gets Scarier	p. 31
Toxic Fears and Poisonous Thoughts	p. 32
Desperate and Despairing	p. 34
Inside a Psych Ward	p. 35
The Big Picture	p. 38
What Are the Warning Signs?	p. 38
Where Can I Turn for Help?	p. 41
How Is a Diagnosis of OCD Made?	p. 43
What Kinds of Treatment Really Work?	p. 44
When Is Hospitalization Helpful?	p. 46
What's the Least I Need to Know?	p. 48
Adventures in Daily Living: OCD at Home and School	p. 50
My Story	p. 50
Locker Room Meltdown	p. 52
Just Following Orders	p. 53
Retracing My Steps	p. 54
Paying Scrupulous Attention	p. 56
Sorry for Everything	p. 57
The Big Picture	p. 59
How Does OCD AFfect Life at Home?	p. 61
How Does OCD Affect Life at School?	p. 63
What Steps Help Manage OCD at School?	p. 65
What Should You Tell Friends about OCD?	p. 67
What's the Least I Need to Know?	p. 70
Reaching for a Lifeline: Psychotherapy and Medication	p. 72
My Story	p. 72
Off to Boarding School	p. 73
Hitting the Panic Button	p. 75
Winning by Surrender	p. 76
Cognitive-Behavioral Help	p. 79
Looking East for Inspiration	p. 80
The Big Picture	p. 83
What Form of CBT Is Most Effective?	p. 85
What Types of Medication Are Helpful?	p. 91
How Can I Pay for Treatment?	p. 94
Which Self-Help Strategies Are Useful?	p. 96
What's the Least I Need to Know?	p. 97
Rituals, Routines, and Recovery: Living With OCD	p. 99
My Story	p. 99
Staring Down OCD	p. 100
Life Beyond High School	p. 102
Hoarding 101	p. 104
Cleaning Up My Act	p. 106
The Big Picture	p. 107
How Does Substance Abuse Affect OCD?	p. 110
How Are Tic Disorders Related to OCD?	p. 112
What Are Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders?	p. 114
Which Other Disorders Are Related to OCD?	p. 116
What's the Outlook for My Future?	p. 120
What's the Least I Need to Know?	p. 121
Where I Was Is Not Where I Am	p. 122
Romancing the Illness	p. 123
Does That Sound Rational?	p. 126
The One-Shower Rule	p. 127
Sweet Stink of Success	p. 128
Tooling Up for the Future	p. 130
Frequently Asked Questions	p. 133
Glossary	p. 143
Resources	p. 149
Bibliography	p. 157
Index	p. 161
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