The Man Who Couldn't Stop

October 13, 2014
In a wide-reaching discussion that spans the spectrum of obsession, Nature editor David Adam strikes an impressive balance between humor and poignancy, and between entertaining and informing. Adam seamlessly moves between personal stories of his own struggles with OCD and case studies of other people with the disorder. He also demonstrates that OCD isn’t limited by cultural boundaries, with the chilling story of an Ethiopian girl who ate an entire mud wall and that of Austrian mathematician Kurt Gödel, whose fear of poisoning led him to starve himself to death. Adam moves from these full-blown cases to more commonplace obsessions with ease, while his smooth prose ensures an enjoyable read. Not neglecting the darker nature of obsession, Adam manages to end on a note more hopeful than harrowing: the story of how he found happiness and relief from OCD. Agent: Karolina Sutton, Curtis Brown.

Starred review from November 15, 2014
An engrossing first-person study of obsessive-compulsive disorder from within and without."An Ethiopian schoolgirl called Bira once ate a wall of her house," writes acclaimed British Nature editor and writer Adam in the opening of his account of OCD. "She didn't want to, but she found that to eat the wall was the only way to stop her thinking about it." Bira, who had eaten over half a ton of mud bricks by the time she was 17 and finally sought medical attention, was found to have only "moderately-severe" OCD because she spent a mere two hours per day thinking about and then eating a wall of her house-the average OCD sufferer can spend six hours per day thinking odd thoughts and then four hours acting on them. What lends especial weight to Adam's remarkable study of what psychiatrists consider the fourth most common mental disorder and the World Health Organization ranks as the 10th most disabling is Adam's admission that he, too, suffers from OCD, having been plagued for over 20 years by an irrational fear of contracting AIDS. Far from being fastidiously punctual or a tad "anal" around the house, Adam demonstrates that OCD is a serious, crippling condition capable of rendering the daily life of the afflicted virtually unlivable. "OCD," writes the author, "dissolves perspective. It magnifies small risks, warps probabilities and takes statistical chance as a prediction, not a sign of how unlikely things are." Repeatedly transfixed by a bizarre thought, which turns into an obsession, the OCD sufferer cannot find relief until compulsively acting on that obsession. Adam delves deeply into OCD's possible causes, its varieties-whether obsessed with contamination from dirt (Lady Macbeth) or disease (Howard Hughes), an irrational fear of harm or irrepressible need for symmetry (Samuel Johnson)-and treatments, breaking down this complex condition in easily accessible layman's terms. Well-researched, witty, honest and irreverent, Adam's account proves as irresistible as his subject.

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Starred review from November 1, 2014
For people who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, knowledge is not power. They may recognize that the intrusive thoughts driving them to continually check that the stove is turned off, or engage in rituals to ward off danger, are highly unlikely or even ridiculous. But that does not mean they can escape them, as Adam, a writer and editor at the scientific journal Nature, knows all too well. His own obsession, that he might contract HIV through blood or fluids left almost anywhere, has caused him to scrutinize photographs, examine paper towels, and make a series of calls daily to the National AIDS Helpline. In this riveting, at times disturbing, but always enlightening book, he shines a light on this misunderstood condition. Adam weaves his own story within a larger examination of the illness, from its possible origins and its appearance in specific cases throughout history to the way scientific understanding of it has developed over time, and its treatments, some more successful than others. For all the impressive marshaling of information, it is Adam's own story of his struggles with the condition, which his infant daughter forced him to confront instead of uneasily accepting, that is the most captivating aspect of this impressive work. Adam clearly shows both the devastating impact our thoughts can have when they turn against us, and how science is helping us fight back.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)