Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: Practical Management, 3rd ed.

This is the third edition of a very useful volume originally published in 1986 and followed by the second edition in 1990. A lot has happened in the interim, explaining why the book now has 30 chapters and 12 appendixes. The original volume had 11 chapters, and the second had 24. Clearly, this expansion is a reflection of the burgeoning knowledge of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related conditions.

The aim of the editors has been to create an up-to-date, comprehensive volume organized around five general sections: The Clinical Picture, Illnesses Related to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Spectrum Disorders, Pathophysiology and Assessment, Treatment, and Patient and Clinic Management. To accomplish this, the editors have enlisted the help of 40 colleagues considered experts in their respective fields. For example, there are updated chapters by Steven Rasmussen and Jane Eisen (“The Epidemiology and Clinical Features of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder”), Wayne Goodman and Lawrence Price (“Rating Scales for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder”), John Alsobrook and David Pauls (“The Genetics of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder”), and John March (“Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy for Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder”) and a new chapter by Randy Frost and Gail Steketee (“Hoarding: Clinical Aspects and Treatment Strategies”). Other well-known contributors include Katherine Phillips, Scott Rauch, and Michele Pato.

One of the special and unique aspects of this book is the in-depth discussion of treatment of OCD and related syndromes. The discussion of drug treatment is first-rate, and those on treatment with cognitive and behavior therapies are extremely useful. The neurosurgical treatment of OCD is given short shrift in most communications but is thoroughly covered here with a balanced appraisal, including a list of 10 indications that ought to be standard for programs offering neurosurgery for OCD.

The appendixes are all useful and include a copy of a guide prepared by the Obsessive-Compulsive Information Center, copies of several important rating scales (including the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale), a model obsessive-compulsive clinic questionnaire, and a domestic and foreign list of OCD support groups.

Within its particular niche, this book is perhaps the most authoritative. It is well edited and is both interesting and readable. Useful tables are provided, and references are thorough through 1997. The book itself is of high quality, and the editors’ switch to another publisher for this edition has not compromised its content or quality. One minor criticism is that several conditions held by some to fall within an obsessive-compulsive spectrum are not covered, such as pathological gambling, compulsive buying, and hypochondriasis.

I believe the book should be in the collection of anyone with a special interest or expertise in OCD and related conditions. I strongly recommend it.