OCD ─ A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed

When someone is diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chances are they've been living with the symptoms for a long time. People with OCD may have long felt embarrassed by their thoughts and behaviors, which may include fear of contamination, the need for symmetry, pathological doubt, aggressive thoughts, repeating behaviors, and obsessive cleaning. OCD: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed helps readers understand how OCD works so they can develop better strategies for coping with their symptoms. This pocket guide offers guidance for coping with the diagnosis itself, discusses stigmas related to OCD, and includes help for readers unsure of who they should tell about the diagnosis. Readers also learn about the most effective treatment approaches and easy ways to begin to manage their OCD symptoms.

An OCD diagnosis can be a devastating event, or it can be a catalyst for positive change. Books in the Guides for the Newly Diagnosed series provide readers with all the tools they need to process a diagnosis in the healthiest way possible, and then move forward to manage their symptoms so that the disorder doesn't get in the way of living a fulfilling life.

This book is a part of New Harbinger Publications' Guides for the Newly Diagnosed series.The series was created to help people who have recently been diagnosed with a mental health condition. Our goal is to offer user-friendly resources that provide answers to common questions readers may have after receiving a diagnosis, as well as evidence-based strategies to help them cope with and manage their condition, so that they can get back to living a more balanced life.

Visit www.newharbinger.com for more books in this series.

Michael A. Tompkins, PhD, is founding partner of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy, diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and assistant clinical professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also author of Digging Out.

Foreword writer Jeff Bell is author of Rewind, Replay, Repeat: A Memoir of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. He lives in Benicia, CA.