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Rating: 
Summary: Simply the best and most helpful OCD book around.
Review: Dr. Ian Osborn knows OCD literally inside out. He should; after all, he has it!There are many self-help books available on the subject of OCD, and many are helpful. But I have never read one which rang quite so true. There are no cute and easy to remember steps here; simply an understanding of the experience and dynamics of OCD which will leave those who struggle with the disorder feeling understood as never before. Many fine physicians have quite a bit of expertise on the subject of OCD. But Dr. Osborn is something more than an expert. He is a seasoned warrior, who knows the enemy with an intimacy which can only come of first-hand experience. If you have OCD, or love someone who has it, and read only one book on the subject, let this be the one. If you have OCD, you will meet yourself in its pages, and know yourself better for having read it. If you love someone with OCD, reading this book may be your best opportunity of learning what this invisible enemy is like without developing it yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a book for self-help, but good for self-image
Review: Dr. Osborn states up front that although it contains some excellent coping strategies, this book is not intended as a self-help manual. Because of that, I feel that it puts much less pressure on the reader to feel responsible (or even guilty) for suffering OCD. Examples and case studies draw a continuum from normal thought processes to troublesome obsessions, emphasizing that OCD isn't really so bizarre as it may seem -- it's just a matter of degree. Chapters on historical treatment of OCD (I expected this to be boring, but it wasn't) and physical manifestations (maybe even physical causes) of the disorder really help to put it into perspective. Very different from other books I've read on the subject.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, there is hope
Review: I have been in talk therapy for many years (with different therapists) and I've always wondered why I didn't feel 'normal'. Recently I was diagnosed with OCD and shortly thereafter I read this book. I liked it very much. In a compassionate, reassuring tone the author explains OCD and its treatments (medication and behavioral therapy). He includes case studies and examples of probable historical OCD suffers. He also summarizes the research that shows OCD is a brain disorder and states that insight-oriented therapy does not work (I could have said that!). The list of resources is extensive.
Rating:
Summary: Informative and helpful
Review: I recommend this book to those who are plagued with symptoms of OCD or who have family members with OCD. The book outlines some of the types of obsessions and compulsions, offers a simple diagnostic test, and suggests effective coping strategies, including available prescription medications. The text comforts and reassures the sufferer, that OCD does not make a person "weird", but that OCD itself is a biological disorder.
This book is especially helpful for family members who are looking for a way to support their loved ones and trying to understand the causes of their rituals and anxieties. It offers valuable insight into this distressing disorder.
Rating: 
Summary: No real solutions
Review: This book focuses on symptoms and not solutions. If you want real solutions, buy Jonathan Grayson's book called "Freedom from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." That is the best book on OCD I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: No real solutions
Review: This is probably the best book on the subject. It tells you everything you wanted to know about OCD and related issues, including some rarely-discussed topics (e.g., the link to one's personality). The author ultimately places OCD in the biological realm and lists the latest evidence, along with the explanation of the brain areas involved. Unfortunately, nothing about OCD is simple or straightforward; but there exist effective treatments and plausible, scientifically tested causes.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent, informative book
Review: Very good book for OCDers. In my opinion, there are only 2 valuable books available on the market today for OCDers. One is titled "STOP OBSESSING!", the other...is this book! The most valuable aspect of this book is the way it describes "actual" fears and thoughts of OCDers. This helps you realize you are not alone, and you are not so weird after all.
I felt a weight lift off my chest after I put this book down. My advice to you. Buy this book, buy a highlighter. Highlight everything in this book that relates to you. Use it as a reference when you are OCDing.
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