The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing - by Judith L Rapoport (Paperback)

About the Book

Up to six million Americans are afflicted with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a serious, emotionally crippling disease. Cleaning, counting, washing, checking, avoiding--these are just some of the rituals that sufferers are powerless to stop. Now an expert on OCD reveals breakthroughs in diagnosis, successful new behaviorist therapies, drug treatments, and more.

Book Synopsis

In this classic study of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a distinguished psychiatrist offers hope and help for those suffering from mental illness, suggesting pathways forward through behavioral therapies and mediation.

Drawing on the extraordinary experiences of her patients, Dr. Judith Rapoport unravels the mysteries surrounding OCD, an emotionally crippling affliction that affects millions of Americans. The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing follows Dr. Rapaport's patient, the pseudonymous "David," who developed such severe OCD symptoms that he spent so long each day washing himself and cleaning his home that he could no longer keep a job.

Through the example of her treatment of "David," Dr. Rapoport explores the ways in which OCD manifests, how it affects individuals and their families, and the treatment options available to those who suffer from this mental illness.

Revealing breakthroughs in diagnosis, therapies, and medication, as well as offering guidelines for diagnosis, resources, and references, Dr. Rapaport offers hope and practical advice for those seeking help for themselves or their loved ones with OCD.

Review Quotes

"Deeply moving and impressive."
--Oliver Sacks, M.D., author of Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

"Offers help to millions who suffer in silence."
--Chicago Tribune

"First-rate meticulous clinical observation and state-of-the-art laboratory studies illuminate an important human problem."
--Leon Eisenberg, M.D., Harvard Medical School

"This book, with its information and lively writing, and informed by the author's obvious compassion for her patients, makes an important contribution to understanding an intriguing and irrational illness."
--The New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Dr. Judith L. Rapoport is Chief of the child Psychiatry Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health. A graduate of Swarthmore College and Harvard Mediacl School, she has been the recipient of the Outstanding Service Award from the U.S. Public Health Service and the Ittleson Prize in Child Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association. She lives with her family in Washington D.C.