Ocd By Jeff Bell Summary

I chose this book because I wanted to learn more about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and more specifically, better understand this anxiety disorder from a first-person account. The author, Jeff Bell, is a radio broadcaster based in San Francisco. The book begins with Bell describing his earliest memory of OCD. He is seven or eight years old and in bed, recalling an incident from two days ago. He is walking down the street with his mother and sister, when a car passes and a boy shouts out the window. Bell describes how he keeps playing this scene over and over, desperately trying to identify the boy. It seems almost like life and death to Bell that he discovers who this person was in the passing car. Although this first chapter is only

In particular, Bell chronicles in detail his journey to understanding his OCD. He shares with the reader his struggle to find a professional who understands his disorder. His first experience with therapy lands him in the office of Doctor X, found by Bell's mother. Bell decides he will give Doctor X four sessions and determine whether he wants to continue or end their association and move on to the next therapist. It is clear from the first session that Doctor X does not believe Bell has OCD and instead tells him that because he is young and successful, he is creating problems as a distraction. For the remaining sessions, Bell remains fairly passive, letting Doctor X think he's buying into his therapeutic approach. Bell keeps his commitment to four sessions and then walks out without looking

The book ends with an afterword from Dr. Jackie Persons, Bell's therapist. She describes the progress Bell has made and says that through her work with him, she has discovered a multi-tiered therapeutic approach is most beneficial in treating OCD. This memoir brought to light the importance of client-centered care. As Bell recounts his early therapy experiences with Doctor X and others, it becomes clear that a cookie cutter approach is not effective for treating OCD. The author was initially adamantly against medication, but he learns that in conjunction with different therapies, medication is an important component. Bell's experience also highlights the importance of counselors exhibiting both empathy and unconditional positive regard toward their clients. If either of these characteristics is missing or lacking, the client is being short-changed. I found this book fascinating and hard to put down. I liked how the author set it up like a series of tapes, which is how he describes his OCD. Each chapter is labeled as fast-forward, pause, or rewind. Within each chapter, Bell also has sections where he pauses, to provide the reader with more background detail and proper context. The book flows very well and his story is easy to follow. I felt like I was actually listening to a tape or audiobook of Bell's life. His descriptions are vivid and I could create images