Sexual Obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder : A Step-by-Step, Definitive Guide to Understanding, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Many people suffer in secret from unwanted sexual obsessions. These people are not perverts or pedophiles, but normal individuals with a brain-based condition called obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD. Most of us have heard of OCD, but few realize that OCD can cause people to have terrifying sexual thoughts that just won''t go away. Many therapists are baffled by these symptoms and may spin their wheels trying to get to the root of problem. The good news is that there are effective, short-term treatments to help sufferers overcome these demons and start feeling better again.

Sexual obsessions are a common symptom of OCD, but addressing them in treatment is uniquely challenging due to feelings of shame, prior misdiagnosis, and the covert nature of ritualizing behaviors. These complicating factors make it difficult for clients to disclose their symptoms and for clinicians to know how to approach treatment. Sexual Obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder provides clinicians with the information and guidance needed to help clients experiencing unwanted and intrusive thoughts of a sexual nature. Opening with background information on sexual obsessions and OCD, including assessment and differential diagnosis, Williams and Wetterneck then offer a complete, step-by-step manual describing treatment using a combination of empirically-supported CBT strategies, such as exposure and response prevention, cognitive therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy, as well as useful mindfulness techniques. Accompanying these practical, step-by-step instructions are educational handouts and diagrams for clients designed to promote learning. The book concludes with a discussion of relationship issues that commonly result from sexually-themed OCD, and how therapists can tackle these problems. Sexual Obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is an essential resource for clinicians who treat OCD, as well as students and trainees from across the mental health professions.