The Man Who Couldn't Stop
The Truth About OCD
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3.9 • 16 Ratings
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- £6.99
Publisher Description
The Sunday Times bestseller.
‘A fascinating study of the living nightmare that is obsessive compulsive disorder' - Matt Haig, author of The Midnight Library
Have you ever stood at the edge of a tall building and felt the terrifying urge to jump? Or caught yourself imagining swerving into oncoming traffic for no reason at all? You’re not broken — and you’re not alone.
In The Man Who Couldn't Stop, writer and journalist David Adam takes us on a gripping journey into the darkest corners of the mind. Blending science, history and raw personal experience, this extraordinary book explores the hidden thoughts we all have but rarely admit.
With unflinching honesty and unfaltering humour, Adam reveals what it’s like to live with OCD — a condition he has battled for over two decades. From a schoolgirl driven to eat a wall of her house, piece by piece, to two brothers who are buried alive by the things they’ve hoarded, he asks: when does a fleeting thought become a trap we can’t escape from?
‘I urge anyone to buy it. It will make you think again’ - The Sunday Times
‘Just buy it now’ - Adam Rutherford, author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived
‘Superb’ - The Times
‘Brave, funny and illuminating’ - The Guardian
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a wide-reaching discussion that spans the spectrum of obsession, Nature editor David Adam strikes an impressive balance between humor and poignancy, and between entertaining and informing. Adam seamlessly moves between personal stories of his own struggles with OCD and case studies of other people with the disorder. He also demonstrates that OCD isn't limited by cultural boundaries, with the chilling story of an Ethiopian girl who ate an entire mud wall and that of Austrian mathematician Kurt G del, whose fear of poisoning led him to starve himself to death. Adam moves from these full-blown cases to more commonplace obsessions with ease, while his smooth prose ensures an enjoyable read. Not neglecting the darker nature of obsession, Adam manages to end on a note more hopeful than harrowing: the story of how he found happiness and relief from OCD.
Customer Reviews
Well worth reading
An insightful, easy introduction to the types of obsessions that most people don't talk about, but should. Not limited to conventional OCD, although it deals with that too. You might even recognise yourself in here.