Obsessed

A Memoir of My Life with OCD

By: Allison Britz

Narrated by: Emily Ellet

Until sophomore year of high school, 15-year-old Allison Britz lived a comfortable life in an idyllic town. She was a dedicated student with tons of extracurricular activities, friends, and loving parents at home. But after awakening from a vivid nightmare in which she was diagnosed with brain cancer, she was convinced the dream had been a warning. Allison believed that she must do something to stop the cancer in her dream from becoming a reality.

It started with avoiding sidewalk cracks and quickly grew to counting steps as loudly as possible. Over the following weeks, her brain listed more dangers and fixes. She had to avoid hair dryers, calculators, cell phones, computers, anything green, bananas, oatmeal, and most of her own clothing.

Unable to act "normal," the once-popular Allison became an outcast. Her parents questioned her behavior, leading to explosive fights. When notebook paper, pencils, and most schoolbooks were declared dangerous to her health, her GPA imploded, along with her plans for the future.

Finally, she allowed herself to ask for help and was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. This brave memoir tracks Allison's descent and ultimately hopeful climb out of the depths.

©2017 Allison Britz (P)2020 Tantor

Highly recommend!!!

I loved how Obsessed was a memoir, but so entertaining. I do not have much experience with OCD, but I’m extremely grateful that if I ever become close to someone with OCD, I will understand how to support and respect them.

Amazing!

This is a well told story of courage and strength of a fight against OCD and coexistence with OCD.

A great contribution

I have read a lot about OCD and I know people that have it, but I really had no idea of what it could feel like to experience it. The author lets us enter her brain and hear every thought while she was ill, over a period of several months. It was really stressful to listen to the first half of the book, as her OCD experience was stressful and even cruel. Once the diagnosis and healing therapies began, I could barely put it down. The author offers such hope and encouragement through sharing her story. I think this book will help OCD sufferers, mental health practitioners, family members, and anyone who is interested. Well done!

Very Interesting!

The narrator was really amazing! The writing captures well the terrible experience of the author. I got frustrated wondering when the horror would end for her. There seemed no end in sight. I listened at 1.7x speed. I learned a lot. I recommend this book.

Good Overall

I also have OCD, mine is very different than the authors but she did a great job explaining what it’s like, the fear and anxiety.