The Imp of the Mind: Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: A "Must Read" for everyone. I plan on giving the Imp of the Mind to friends and family as a gift. Have you ever had bad thoughts? Too scared to tell anyone about them? Well, you're normal. What a relief! When I was a prosecutor, I sometimes felt a strong urge to pull the gun out of a policeman's holster. Terribly inappropriate for that profession. That's the Imp at work. Making you think the worse thoughts at the most inappropriate times. Now that I am in a different profession, I no longer have that particular bad thought, but occassionally another one enters my mind which is just as inappropriate. After reading this book, I no longer worry about bad thoughts. I believe the Imp of the Mind can help millions of others sigh a big sigh of relief and get on with their lives!

Rating:
Summary: One of several great tools for the toolbox
Review: After reading Dr. Baer's previous book on OCD I had high hopes that The Imp would shed some new light on the treatment of obsessive thoughts that are unwanted, intrusive, and inappropriate. His use of "bad" in the title should have prompted me to pass on this recycled... I can only surmise that my obsessive thinking got in the way of making a good decision.

Reason for this post: for those who suffer from truly bad obsessive thinking with or without compulsions, go to Amazon's book section and click into your basket just about any book by a real researcher, such as Steketee, Foa, Hyman, Wilson, Jenike. As for The Imp, recycle it in the usual way...

Rating:
Summary: Very Important
Review: For those of us who are plagued with obsessive bad thoughts, this book is very important. Since I was very young I have been bothered by obsessive religious thoughts, especially during prayer-time. Because of these thoughts, I have gone through periods in my life where I had to stop praying, because it seemed like the only way to minimize these thoughts. This is not something I have ever discussed with anyone, even though I was in therapy and on medication for depression for several years. It really just seemed too terrible to talk about. I always wondered what was wrong with me, and even wondered if I was possessed. This book has put my mind at ease, by letting me know that it's my brain, and not "me" that is the problem. I don't have these thoughts because I am evil, I have them because there is something wrong with my brain. Thank you for writing this book, Dr. Baer, because it seems like the other books on OCD focus on behaviors, and don't give an indepth discussion of obsessive thoughts which can be just as disturbing as counting, checking or hording.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, someone targets the most torturesome side of OCD
Review: I only had to read about three pages in to this book to realize that this was the BEST book written thus far on intrusive thoughts. Dr. Baer does a wonderful job of reaching the reader through case studies that he has encountered over his long career. I would strongly recommend that anyone who suffers from this torturesome side of OCD to buy this book. It has been a true gift to me.

Rating:
Summary: A must-have
Review: I've read a lot of books about OCD, and most of them focus on compulsive BEHAVIOR (handwashing, checking locks, hoarding, etc.) rather than what to do about obsessions -- intrusive thoughts that can depress and often cripple people. As someone with OCD obessions but not compulsions, this book has been a huge help to me. Best of all is to read Baer's detailed descriptions of real-life patients with a variety of different obsessions and to recognize just how common these thoughts really are. If you've ever felt guilty, depressed, or flawed because of your obsessions, read this book ... the mere recognition that you are neither evil nor alone in having these thoughts is, in itself, a major step towards healing.

Rating:
Summary: Generally helpful, but...
Review: If you are suffering from intrusive "bad thoughts" (most likely due to OCD, the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), this self-help book will assure you that you're not a criminal, that your sexuality is fine, that you don't have a deadly disease, etc.; it will also assure you that you're not the only one suffering from obsessions. The book can be a real eye-opener in terms of the case studies and treatment strategies presented (the emphasis is on direct exposure, not drugs).

At the same time this book can also be misleading, because if you are experiencing a somewhat severe OCD episode -- and you know when you are -- trying to "help yourself" is about the worst you can do. What is needed is professional help from the psychiatrist, typically drugs together with some kind of behavioral therapy. Even if no antidepressants are prescribed -- which is rare -- trying to self-administer the exposure strategies presented in this book, without the guidance and approval of a doctor, can be futile and counterproductive.

Rating:
Summary: A real help.
Review: The author is so repetitive that the book probably could have been 10 pages or less. It is not worth the read.

Rating:
Summary: Great tool...
Review: This is the first and only book that I have found that actually deals with obsessive negative bad thoughts. Most of the OCD books that I have found deal with compulsions and rituals and hit very lightly on obsessive negative thoughts. Great book that offers lots of good strategies for dealing with obsessive negative thoughts.

Rating:
Summary: Great tool...
Review: This is the first and only book that I have found that actually deals with obsessive negative bad thoughts. Most of the OCD books that I have found deal with compulsions and rituals and hit very lightly on obsessive negative thoughts. Great book that offers lots of good strategies for dealing with obsessive negative thoughts.

Rating:
Summary: Same old stuff, insulting
Review: This is the same old common sense stuff that I've heard a million times before, and again presented as revolutionary. The only difference is that this book is organized pretty well, so as an "intro" to OCD I would give it 3-4 stars. But with all the OCD books on the market, I can't believe the knowledge of OCD hasn't progressed past this.

I figured out most of these things on my own when I had OCD at age 15, so I only wish I would have written a book too!

"Exploring" the obsessions is an accurate title though, since you won't get beyond that. Books like this really add insult to injury for people with OCD who naively spend money on them, only to be a few dollars poorer. This is really becoming a problem. These books get praised by specialists, yet the OCDers still have their OCD after the read. After leaving my latest ineffective Behavior Therapist, all I can say is it would be nice if someone would think of an *effective* treatment for OCD symptoms more complicated than hand-washing and worrying about leaving the stove on.