Product Description
Shannon Shy is a senior civilian attorney with the Department of the Navy and a retired U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Lieutenant Colonel. In 1997, while on active duty with the Marines, he was diagnosed with a severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder or "OCD." His OCD had become so severe he became practically non-functioning. He constantly found himself in a seemingly endless loop of intrusive and irrational thoughts, mental anguish, physical pain, and odd behaviors. It got to the point where he secretly and repeatedly thought that suicide would be better than the anguish, embarrassment, and the pain. While he had suspected for several years that he had some disorder, he was afraid to admit it to anyone and afraid to be diagnosed. He had concluded that doing so would cause him to lose his career and his wife and two young sons. Finally, after some nudging from his wife and a colleague and after one very memorable OCD episode, he called a psychiatrist. With the aid of doctors, medication, and behavioral therapy, he developed an effective behavioral strategy (what he calls "Ground Rules and Checkpoints") to manage his OCD. He now lives a very happy and productive life and has for many years--without medication and without doctors. OCD no longer adversely affects him. This book is about how a young Marine officer, attorney, and family man faced and overcame a relentless "enemy" called OCD. It is a story about struggle, perseverance, and overcoming adversity. This book is not intended as medical advice. Rather, it provides hope, comfort, confidence and insight to some practical techniques for those suffering from OCD and for those trying to help someone with OCD.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 10 reviews)

It'll be okay Great resource, great story! by Mary B. Mahoney (Springfield MO)

5 Stars
October 09, 2009
I felt this book was very well written. It's heartfelt, to the point, and witty as well. I felt the book captured very well how ocd can interupt a normally strongwilled, determined, put together person that you would never think could be touched by such a disorder! As well as how he, his family and support people in his life worked to gain control again. Very well done. Very informative.

Excellent First-hand OCD Experience by DanC (New York)

5 Stars
October 01, 2009
As someone who has had to deal with OCD for 25 years, this personal story, with its detailed explanation of how he overcame OCD, by Shannon Shy, speaks to both my heart and my mind. It is proof that OCD can be overcome through conscious and persistent steps in learning how to view your OCD and how to manage it effectively. People usually don't want to hear about how to "manage" a disease or condition; they want a complete cure. But the truth is that even people who do not have a disease or condition experience the same problems and challenges, perhaps to a lesser degree. My point is that everybody has stress and anxiety, times of deep sadness (depression), anger, etc. The trick is to learn how to manage the accompanying thoughts and feelings so that they don't steamroll your life. Shannon Shy shows how he has effectively done just that, and although his method of overcoming OCD may not be exactly right for all OCD sufferers, it can be tweaked and personalized and also spark new ideas on how OCD can be effectively managed.

Excellent Book on OCD by Mrs Angela B.

5 Stars
September 17, 2009
I purchased this book for my niece who suffers with OCD. She said this book was fantastic. Many of the OCD books out there don't focus on the types of symptoms she has. She said the author of this book had the exact obsessions as she has. I think it gave her a lot of hope!

Excellent by D. Kays

5 Stars
September 08, 2009
This is a well written book which explains in plain language what OCD is and how the disease can be dealt with without drugs. Shannon Shy has provided a great service by sharing his experiences. Many people will benefit from this insightful book.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by KQ

5 Stars
August 28, 2009
I loved this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I read it in one sitting, which is a big deal for a busy elementary school principal! It was everything in one package: truth, laughter, fear, and honesty. Shannon's book will help me as an educator and as an administrator. People are always asking my advice about issues with their children and students, and this is one I've been asked about a lot. I can't wait to share it with my faculty!

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	When in Doubt, Make Belief: An OCD-Inspired Approach to Living with Uncertainty by Jeff Bell (Author), Michael Jenike (Foreword) When in doubt, make belief. For author and news anchor Jeff Bell, these are words to live by. Literally. As someone who has spent much of his life battling severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), Bell has had to overcome crippling uncertainty few people can imagine. In this powerful follow-up to his critically acclaimed memoir, Rewind, Replay, Repeat, Bell expounds on the principles of applied belief that allowed him to make such a remarkable recovery from this “doubting disease” and...
	Rewind, Replay, Repeat: A Memoir of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by Jeff Bell (Author) The revealing story of one man's struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and his hard-won recovery Nagging doubt: It's a part of everyday life. Who hasn't doubled back to check on a door or appliance? But what if one check wasn't enough? Nor two or three? And what if nagging doubt grew so intense that physical senses became all but useless? Such was the case for Jeff Bell, a husband, father, and highly successful radio news anchor—and one of the millions of Americans...
	Freedom from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Personalized Recovery Program for Living with Uncertainty by Jonathan Grayson (Author) Freedom from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder reveals Dr. Jonathan Grayson's revolutionary program to help sufferers make sense of their own compulsions through frank, unflinching self-evaluation-providing the tools, instructions, and knowledge for changing their cycles of overwhelming fear and endless rituals, as well as the courage to do it. This indispensable book includes: - Self-assessment tests that guide readers in identifying their specific type of OCD and help track...
	Coping With OCD: Practical Strategies for Living Well With Obsessive-compulsive Disorder by Bruce M., Ph.D. Hyman (Author), Troy Dufrene (Author) Do you know about the Doomsayer? He's the guy dressed in raggedy clothes, hanging around on street corners with a cardboard sign that reads, "The End Is Near!" He's always ready to tell you that mobile phones cause cancer, air traffic fatalities are up this year, and locusts are poised to swarm the city. Having OCD is a lot like having this character living inside your head. He's with you all the time; he knows your deepest fears, and he's not afraid to use them. You try to brush him off at...
	Can Christianity Cure Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?: A Psychiatrist Explores the Role of Faith in Treatment by Ian Osborn MD (Author) Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a relentless condition, the primary symptom being the occurrence of terrifying ideas, images, and urges that jump into a person's mind and return again and again, despite the individual's attempt to remove them. Christians who suffer from OCD may grapple with additional guilt, as the undesired thoughts are frequently of a spiritual nature. Yet people may be surprised to learn that some of the greatest leaders in Christian history also struggled...