Touch and Go Joe: An Adolescent's Experience of OCD

Part of the Reading Well scheme. 35 books selected by young people and health professionals to provide young people with high-quality support, information and advice about common mental health issues and related conditions. As many as 2 in every 100 people suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and 16-year-old Joe Wells is one of them. In Touch and Go Joe, he tells the story of his battle with OCD from its insidious beginnings at age 9 and increasingly intrusive symptoms, to diagnosis at age 12. Having struggled to keep the condition a secret for years, he is now able to talk and write openly about OCD and how he battled to overcome it. This book is packed with advice and coping strategies, as well as first-hand accounts of available treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy and medication. Written in an informal and accessible style, and including his own humorous illustrations, Touch and Go Joe gives an upbeat yet realistic look at the effect of OCD on adolescent life. This honest and amusing account will raise awareness of this all-too-common, yet frequently misdiagnosed disorder and will be of interest to anyone who has suffered from or knows someone who has suffered from OCD, including children and adolescents, teachers, psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health professionals, parents and carers.

Table of Contents:
Foreword. 1. Worrying. 2. Poisoning of the Mind. 3. Vulnerability. 4. Guilty Mind. 5. Am I Mad? 6. Learning to Count. 7. Keeping My Secret. 8. Learning to Walk the Walk. 9. OCD Abroad. 10. Getting Help. 11. Convincing Myself of OCD's Irrationality. 12. Challenging. 13. Depression and OCD. 14. Citalopram. 15. The Awful Truth. 16. Getting On with It. Appendix 1.

About the Author :
At age 16, Joe Wells wrote Touch and Go Joe, sharing his experiences living with OCD from the age of 9. Since then, Joe has been working in comedy, in stand-up and writing for the BBC and magazines. Recently, he has been writing about mental health and neurodiversity.

Review :
This true story provides valuable insight into the life of a teenager and his experience of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Joe is a sixteen-year-old boy who writes openly about what it is like to live under the control of OCD and of his battle to regain control of his thoughts, feelings and actions. Joe offers a range of practical advice and coping strategies in the form of a summary at the end of each chapter and in the appendix, which makes this book a very valuable resource to inform and inspire people experiencing OCD and those close to them. This story will also allow other children and teenagers experiencing this disorder to realise they are not alone and that recovery is possible, a point professionals often struggle to portray. I would also recommend this book to those wanting to understand more about this interesting condition. The goes a long way to increase awareness and recognition of OCD and is a well written, easy to read story. Written by 16-year old Joe, a sufferer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) since he was 9, this book is an excellent read. The short chapters are well defined, with helpful summaries at the end of each one. It gives a fascinating insight to the world of someone with OCD, taking us through Joe's treatment and recovery, and charting the ups and downs of his life with OCD and the battle to overcome it. The book conveys a lot of information about the disorder, in a down-to earth and humorous way. It would be a helpful resource for family members of those with OCD, as well as teachers, youth workers and even for sufferers themselves. Thoroughly recommended. The book gives an insight that a text book or journal article could never do. It raises prominent issues of media negativity and societal stigma to diagnosis, and the effect on individuals. This book will be a useful tool for professionals, families, and most importantly anyone with OCD. This book is so useful that I'm now using it as a therapeutic intervention with a patient to help normalise and lift the stigma that they feel. This honest account will raise awareness of this common yet often misdiagnosed disorder and will be of interest to anyone who has suffered from or knows someone who suffers from OCD, including children, adolescents, teachers, mental health professionals, parents and carers. I feel as if I have been waiting for this book. Children and teenagers with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have been asking for this book for years. Joe comes across wise beyond his years when it comes to perception of OCD and how it should be treated, not to mention his very good sense of humour which is evident within the book. A fantastic achievement - as equally valuable as an inspiration for those with the condition and an insight for those who wish to understand it better. A brave and fascinating book.