The Man Who Couldn't Stop
OCD and the true story of a life lost in thought
Published on 10. April 2014
288 pages
978-1-4472-6178-0 (ISBN)
Description
The Sunday Times bestseller
'Life-changing work' - 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 obsessive-compulsive disorder - 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' - 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
'Life-changing work' - 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 obsessive-compulsive disorder - 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' - 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
Reviews / Votes
Clear-sighted and eminently accessible . . . a fundamentally important book that will bring a breath of fresh understanding to sufferers - as well as mental-health professionals, and family and friends of anyone who exhibits symptoms of OCD. I urge anyone to buy it. It will make you think again * The Sunday Times * A fascinating study of the living nightmare that is obsessive compulsive disorder . . . one of the best and most readable studies of a mental illness to have emerged in recent years . . . an honest and open and, yes, maybe life-changing work -- Matt Haig, author of <i>The Midnight Library</i> * The Observer * Combines a scientific account of OCD from ancient times to the most recent research with passages of tenderly written memoir * Telegraph * The Man Who Couldn't Stop is quite simply book of the year, on living with OCD: just buy it now -- Adam Rutherford Superb . . . A brave and helpful contribution to deepening our understanding of the intricate complexities of mental ill-health * The Times * Adam recounts his journey with humour and detachment * Literary Review * An engaging, exhaustively researched neuro memoir, a blend of brain science and personal history * Evening Standard * This blew me away. Stunning -- Ian Sample * The Guardian * An insider's tour of the OCD brain, providing insight into the cultural and scientific evolution of how we view and treat a disorder that affects up to 3% of people worldwide * Nature * A captivating first-person account of how a blizzard of unwanted thoughts can become a personal nightmare. At times shocking, at times tragic, at times unbelievably funny, it is a wonderful read * Focus * A lucid, humane -- only intermittently autobiographical - science book . . . offers a clear history through riveting case studies and the work of key figures * Metro * David Adam, a successful writer, is also a sufferer of obsessive compulsive disorder . . . He covers the history of OCD, the treatments that have been tried without success, and his experience of cognitive behavioural therapy, CBT, which was greatly helpful. A well-written, thorough account * Independent * Well-researched, witty, honest and irreverent, Adam's account proves as irresistible as his subject * Kirkus Reviews *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
File size
0,43 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-4472-6178-0 (9781447261780)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
02/2015
Picador
€16.50
Shipment within 10-20 days
Book
04/2014
Picador
€41.07
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Person
Dr David Adam is an award-winning journalist who covers science, environment, technology, medicine and the impact they have on people, culture and society. In 2019, after nearly two decades as a staff writer and editor at Nature and The Guardian, David set up as a freelancer. The Man Who Couldn't Stop was his first book, followed by The Genius Within in 2017.
