Dr Lynne Drummond releases ‘Everything You Need To Know About OCD’

Dr Lynne Drummond, an honorary consultant psychiatrist at South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, developed and led the Trust’s national OCD/BDD service, a nationally and internationally renowned treatment centre for people with severe, complex and resistant OCD and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), between 1985-2020.

‘Everything You Need To Know About OCD’ featured in Amazon’s top 100 best sellers’ chart in July and has been promoted widely through interviews Lynne has done with BBC local radio stations, the OCD Stories podcast, the Sun newspaper, and BBC Morning Live where Lynne was interviewed alongside actor Ian Puleston-Davies who has lived experience of OCD.

Explaining the condition on BBC Morning Live, Lynne said: “People describe themselves as being a bit OCD when they are a bit tidy or fussy, or when they do things which actually help them achieve their life aims and goals – but that’s not OCD.

“OCD is a devastating condition that affects all areas of your life – your home life, your work life – and what is the main feature of that is really awful, nasty, horrible thoughts, images or even impulses which come into your mind and cause a lot of distress and you can’t get away from that.

“So what people do are things called compulsions or sometimes called rituals, which are behaviours or thoughts that are designed to reduce or prevent the harm and the anxiety of the obsessive thought. However, they’re not very effective and what happens is you get somebody that’s extremely distressed, very often unable to function properly and in the worst cases it can lead to people losing their lives through OCD.”

Lynne’s book provides a comprehensive insight into OCD, including how to spot symptoms of it in yourself or a loved one, and the different treatment options available. Lynne hopes her book will help to change the perception and understanding of OCD so that those struggling with the condition feel able to ask for the help they need.

Reviewers of Lynne’s book have said:

'A must-read for anyone whose life has been impacted by this illness.' – Jo Brand, comedian

‘As an OCD sufferer myself, reading this book was like being wrapped in a warm blanket. Lynne manages to explain this complex condition with both deep insight and caring understanding.' – Ian Puleston Davies, Actor and Patron of OCD UK

'A timely intervention from a leading expert on OCD.' – David Adam, Sunday Times bestselling author of ‘The Man Who Couldn't Stop: The Truth About OCD’

‘It is possible to overcome OCD and this book guides you through the evidence-based treatment methods so you can do it yourself. If you want to understand OCD and be inspired to take the road to recovery, then this is the book for you.' – Trilby Breckman, Clinical Director of TOP UK, the OCD and phobia charity

Lynne’s interview on BBC Morning Live is available to watch on BBC iPlayer here (25.10): BBC iPlayer - Morning Live - Series 4: 21/07/2022

For more information about the book, please visit Everything You Need to Know About OCD (cambridge.org)