Compulsive Acts: A Psychiatrist's Tales of Ritual and Obsession | 
 enlarge | Author: Elias Aboujaoude Md
Publisher: University of California Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 448948
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 191
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.1
ISBN: 0520255674
Dewey Decimal Number: 616.85227
EAN: 9780520255678
ASIN: 0520255674
Publication Date: April 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In this compelling book, we meet a man who can't let anyone get within a certain distance of his nose, two kleptomaniacs from very different walks of life, an Internet addict who chooses virtual life over real life, a professor with a dangerous gambling habit, and others with equally debilitating compulsive conditions. Writing with compassion, humor, and a deft literary touch, Elias Aboujaoude, an expert on obsessive compulsive disorder and behavioral addictions, tells stories inspired by memorable patients he has treated, taking us from initial contact through the stages of the doctor-patient relationship. Into these interconnected vignettes Aboujaoude weaves his own personal experiences while presenting up-to-date, accessible medical information. Rich in both meaning and symbolism, Compulsive Acts is a journey of personal growth and hope that illuminates a fascinating yet troubling dimension of human experience as it explores a group of potentially disabling conditions that are too often suffered in silence and isolation.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Compulsive Acts, hung up on oddity July 10, 2008
Dr. Aboujaoude's set of stories about five of the many OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) patients he has treated are very interesting. The prose is simple, direct, and illuminating; his observations & interpretations insightful and edifying. I bought the book because a member of my family has OCD and I wanted to learn more about it -- and to some extent I did. The problem, though, is that Aboujaoude has chosen to write about the more unusual and extreme, not to say 'colorful,' forms this disorder can take, rather than telling stories about the most common forms. But while this choice might produce a more compelling read, it tends toward the sensational rather than the every-day helpful. I'd have preferred more treatment of what most OCD patients & families have to deal with and need to understand -- though he does make plenty of good comments of a general nature concerning this constellation of disorders. Still, this is a brief & easy-to-read book one can give to friends & family in order to begin a dialogue about what their friend or relative who has OCD might be going through, and it suggests ways of interacting that are helpful or at least innocuous rather than hurtful. Perhaps the doctor will write a follow-up containing stories that more comprehensively deal with these disorders and focus more on the most common manifestations. There isn't much non-technical literature on OCD out there, especially in story or case-history form.
 Touching tales from the good doctor May 30, 2008
At his book signing, Dr Elias Aboujaoude looked far too young to be writing about his Impulse Control Disorders Clinic. How much could he have learned in such a short practice? Not much, I thought, as I thumbed through his slim volume.
But as he answered questions from the audience, I could sense his interest in helping others, his kindness and selflessness in being both Dr A to his patients and a storyteller to his readers.
In "Compulsive Acts", Dr A gently recounts five stories of patients afflicted with somatic obsession, hoarding, trichotillomania (hair-pulling), kleptomania, compulsive gambling, and withdrawing into a Second Life type of existence. He doesn't overanalyze these patients, because doctors often can't answer "why me", and it is better to treat the disease. He explains the disorders and his use of medications and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in a simplistic way that is easily accessible to the reader. Some of his patients recover spectacularly, but others do not. Each story is touching.
Dr A's writing style is a little professorial, and because he had to fictionalize much of the facts in order to maintain patient anonymity, all the dialogue is in his own voice. The book is only 161 pages, plus references and index. I finished it in a plane ride, and my biggest complaint was that I wanted more, much more stories. I will have to hope the good doctor writes Compulsive Acts 2.
 But then what happened?!?!? May 28, 2008
A good book, with enough medical information mixed with the narrative to make it informative as well as entertaining. This was an interesting read, but the end (or lack there of) left me wondering what happened to the patient in the last chapter.
A compulsive read May 25, 2008
I cannot say it better than Irvin Yalom himself who praised this book as "A wonderful read." The author does an amazing job in weaving highly readable clinical information together with captivating and nearly-impossible-to-put-down stories. (Yes, it does seem quite appropriate that stories on compulsive acts make for such compulsive reading!) What an impressive symphony of rhythmical writing, fascinating vignettes, up-to-date medical information, and compassionate therapy.
OCD in novellas May 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book of Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, "Compulsive Acts: A Psychiatrist's Tales of Ritual and Obsession," was so enjoyable to read. Well, it is not accurate to say that I "enjoy" reading about other humans' problems and miseries. The truth is I enjoyed the style in which the novellas were presented by a psychiatrist who has a talent to tell a story and make it intriguing. I can almost predict that someone would soon take this book and write a movie script based on various characters -- the patients with OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) and their psychiatrist as the main protagonist.
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