Read this when
The Man Who Couldn't Stop: OCD and the True Story of a Life Lost in Thought
Every mind has weird thoughts. OCD is when they won't pass. 🧠
Who it's for
If your brain keeps looping on a fear you know is unlikely but can't let go of, this book offers recognition from someone who has lived it and the science to make sense of it.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Science writer David Adam blends memoir, history and neuroscience to explore how ordinary intrusive thoughts can grow into obsessions and compulsions. He draws on two decades of his own experience with OCD, centred on a persistent fear of HIV infection, alongside historical case accounts and research on how the condition is understood and treated.
Where to find it
In print, ebook and audiobook from major booksellers (Picador; US edition Sarah Crichton Books / FSG) and widely held in libraries.
Before you start
Heads up: Health fears and compulsions.
Age: Adult
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2
