Talking Back to OCD

No one wants to get rid of obsessive-compulsive disorder more than someone who has it. That’s why Talking Back to OCD puts kids and teens in charge. Dr. John March’s eight-step program has already helped thousands of young people show the disorder that it doesn’t call the shots—they do. This uniquely designed volume is really two books in one. Each chapter begins with a section that helps young readers zero in on specific problems and develop skills they can use to tune out obsessions and resist compulsions. Dr. March demonstrates how to:

• Create a nickname for the illness to remember that OCD isn’t you

• Make a symptom chart so you can plan when and where to start talking back

• Break the disorder’s rules about the rituals

The pages that follow the instructions for kids and teens show their parents how to be supportive without getting in the way, including tips for:

• Separating the OCD from your son or daughter

• Asking your child’s permission to stop helping with rituals

• Offering praise without imposing expectations

After just a few months’ practice, your family will get back to spending time on things that matter, instead of following pointless orders from the illness. The next time OCD butts in, you’ll be prepared to boss back—and show an unwelcome visitor to the door.

Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Self-Help Book of Merit