The best books about OCD offer hope. I have struggled with OCD for years but was only diagnosed in the last two years. I remember when I got the diagnosis, suddenly my suffering had a name, suddenly my weird rituals and upsetting intrusive thoughts had validation as a recognizable—and, most important, treatable—condition. I have been dealing with OCD symptoms since I was a kid. Now, finally, I have a way to organize the symptoms as something that coherently falls under the umbrella of obsessive compulsive disorder. My therapist and I are trying to treat it with exposure therapy. And with the books listed in this roundup of the best books about OCD, patients with obsessive compulsive disorder have promise for treatment to help alleviate the symptoms. In this list, I’ve split it into three sections: first, fiction books with OCD characters; second, memoirs by people with OCD; and, third, nonfiction books about OCD. Let’s get started!
You might also be interested in other books about mental illness. We’ve got you covered here on Broke by Books. Check out these lists for more great books about mental health:
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And now for an epic list of the 20 best books about OCD…
Part 1: Fiction Books with OCD Characters
Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
We kick off this list of the best books about OCD with Tamara Ireland Stone’s Every Last Word. In this young adult book, Samantha is one of the popular girls in her school, but she knows her status with the in-crowd could be in jeopardy if she ever lets on that she suffers from purely-obsessional OCD. But Sam meets a new, definitely not popular friend, Caroline, who introduces her to the so-called “Poet’s Corner,” where a bunch of misfits and outcasts gather to share poetry. There, finally, Sam fits in with all her neuroses. But can she balance her new friends with her old ones, as well as her increasingly more dominant OCD thoughts? I love how this book explores what it’s like to be young and mentally ill.
How to read it: Purchase Every Last Word on Amazon
OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu
In OCD Love Story, Corey Ann Haydu depicts the difficult intersection between OCD and romantic relationships. Bea meets Beck in her OCD group therapy. It seems like they’re a perfect fit. But Bea’s obsessions are taking over her life in a way that might totally consumer her… I love how Bea’s OCD was depicted honestly and accurately. I hope more people will read books with OCD characters like this and better understand the illness and how it manifests.
How to read it: Purchase OCD Love Story on Amazon
Perfect by Rachel Joyce
This novel twins two storylines: Byron, a young boy living in the 1970s, and Jim, a man in current day struggling with OCD and the aftereffects of electroshock therapy. At first these dual stories seem to not intersect, but as the story goes on, readers see how they’re connected. What’s clear is the respect that Joyce has given to her character with OCD.
How to read it: Purchase Perfect on Amazon
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
Heroes get all the glory and all the attention, but what about the sidekicks, the secondary characters, the people in the background? It’s those characters that Patrick Ness puts the spotlight on in The Rest of Us Just Live Here. Our narrator, Mike, struggles with OCD. His experience will feel super similar to those of us who have obsessive compulsive disorder as well as those on the outside trying to understand.
How to read it: Purchase The Rest of Us Just Live Here on Amazon
Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern
I love this book with its accurate and sensitive disability representation. In this unconventional love story, Amy, who has cerebral palsy, seeks a student aide in her final year of high school to make it easier to just get through the day. But when she hires Matthew, who is crushed by the cycle of intrusive thoughts and compulsions that come from his OCD, the two realize they’re bond goes beyond what they expected. This is for sure among the must-read books about OCD and one of the best books with OCD characters.
How to read it: Purchase Say What You Will on Amazon
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Reading this book by John Green, one of my favorite authors who I have written about here before, helped me recognize my own OCD challenges. In Turtles All the Way Down, Aza is plagued by obsessive compulsive disorder that is so severe it strains her daily life. When Aza and her best friend Daisy start to investigate the disappearance of rich man Russell Pickett, they meet his son, Davis, who helps bring out a softer side of Aza that was previously buried. But Aza’s OCD is at a breaking point, and she’s on the edge of a breakdown. Green, who has OCD, perfectly depicts the tightening corkscrew of obsessive thoughts in this landmark book, for sure one of the greatest books about OCD.
How to read it: Purchase Turtles All the Way Down on Amazon
The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf
It’s 1969, and, like many teen girls at the time, Melati Ahmad is head over heels in love with the Beatles. But while she’s like other girls in that respect, Melati differences in one major way: she has OCD and lives with crippling compulsions. This historical fiction young adult novel is set amidst the 1969 race riots in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Melati is such a compelling heroine, you won’t want to put this book down. Books with OCD characters don’t get any better than this.
How to read it: Purchase The Weight of Our Sky on Amazon
Part 2: Memoir Books about OCD
Everything Is an Emergency: An OCD Story in Words and Pictures by Jason Adam Katzenstein
I highlighted this book in my roundup of the Best Graphic Novels about Mental Illness. There’s something about graphic books about mental illness that helps them communicate the experience in a visual way that hits readers with an immediacy that can be hard to get across purely through words alone. I love Everything Is an Emergency because it is written with such honesty and candor, not to mention a dark humor. It’s thanks to this book that I first heard about exposure therapy for OCD, a treatment approach I’m working on with my therapist right now. This is one of the key books about OCD and among the best OCD books for adults.
How to read it: Purchase Everything Is an Emergency on Amazon
Mad Girl: A Happy Life with a Mixed-Up Mind by Bryony Gordon
This harrowing memoir of life with OCD is one you’ll want to add to your TBR. In this autobiography laced with a black humor, journalist Bryony Gordon sifts through her memories of living with OCD, from when she was just a kid to present day. Gordon writes with unflinching introspection as she evaluates how she’s battled OCD and wrested her life back. It’s an inspiring memoir that anyone with OCD will identify with for sure.
How to read it: Purchase Mad Girl on Amazon
The Man Who Couldn’t Stop: OCD and the True Story of a Life Lost in Thought by David Adam
As an editor of Nature and a respected science journalist, David Adam has experienced success and fame within his industry. But, behind the scenes, Adam has battled OCD for more than twenty years. In The Man Who Couldn’t Stop, Adam reveals the hidden side of him, exploring how OCD has fashioned himself and his mind for decades. Adam doesn’t sugar-coat it; this is not a book about finding a triumphant cure. Instead this book is as raw and candid as it gets and definitely one of the best books about OCD.
How to read it: Purchase The Man Who Couldn’t Stop on Amazon
Obsessed: A Memoir of My Life with OCD by Allison Britz
This riveting memoir is told from the perspective of Allison Britz, who here explores her teenaged years when her OCD first manifested. I love how this book perfectly depicts how quickly you can fall down the rabbit hole of your obsessions and compulsions. To me, sometimes I feel like I am at the mercy of my thoughts, and that’s something that Britz also shares in this can’t-miss-it memoir of a young life with OCD. For more nonfiction of young adult readers, check out my list of the 20 best nonfiction books for teens.
How to read it: Purchase Obsessed on Amazon
Triggered: A Memoir of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by Fletcher Wortmann
Our last memoir about OCD is Fletcher Wortmann’s Triggered: A Memoir of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This stark autobiography explores not just Wortmann’s particular obsessions and compulsions but also takes a wider look at OCD in society, culture, and history. The result is a memoir that looks both inside and out, translating the OCD experience to readers who are new to learning about OCT as well as writing a poignant account that people with OCD will no doubt recognize within their own unique OCD. This is definitely at the top of any list of the best OCD books for adults.
How to read it: Purchase Triggered on Amazon
Part 3: Nonfiction Books about OCD
Freedom from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Personalized Recovery Program for Living with Uncertainty by Jonathan Grayson, Ph.D.
Our first entry in this list of must-read nonfiction books about OCD, Freedom from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a book that anyone with OCD will benefit from reading. This book is probably the best all-in-one book about treating OCD, empowering its readers to recognize their particular triggers, obsessions, and compulsions while also helping newbies learn about different treatment options. Freedom from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is one of the best books for OCD sufferers.
How to read it: Purchase Freedom from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder on Amazon
The Imp of the Mind: Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts by Lee Baer, Ph.D.
In this classic book about OCD, one of the best OCD books for adults, Dr. Lee Baer combines new research on how to treat OCD with a survey of just how much damage this disease does to millions of people who are challenged by their obsessive compulsive disorder. Both a self-help book and an exploration of OCD within its historical, cultural, and sociological context, The Imp of the Mind provides valuable insights and a feeling of hope that its readers no doubt need.
How to read it: Purchase The Imp of the Mind on Amazon
Loving Someone with OCD: Help for You and Your Family by Karen J. Landsman, Ph.D. Kathleen M. Rupertus, MA, MS, and Cherry Pedrick, RN
I know how hard it can be to explain my OCD symptoms with my family and loved ones. I just feel crazy trying to talk about what my particular triggers and thought spirals are. Thanks to Loving Someone with OCD, I can help my family and friend support team understand what I’m going through. This book is a gift for those who suffer from OCD as it helps bridge the divide between personally experiencing OCD and being on the outside trying to help. Loving Someone with OCD is for sure one of the best nonfiction books with OCD and among the top OCD books for adults.
How to read it: Purchase Loving Someone with OCD on Amazon
Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts: A CBT-Based Guide for Getting Over Frightening, Obsessive, or Disturbing Thoughts by Sally M. Winston, Ph.D. and Martin N. Seif, Ph.D.
One of the best OCD self help books, Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts draws on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to assist OCD patients in developing coping mechanisms on how to stare down your OCD symptoms and reclaim your life. What sets this book apart from other books about OCD is its focus on intrusive thoughts. You won’t find extensive research on compulsions. This makes Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts particularly helpful for people with “purely obsessional” OCD, which means all the obsessive thoughts but none of the physical compulsions. But really this book is for anyone who needs to pull themselves out of the darkness. This is definitely one of the best books for OCD intrusive thoughts.
How to read it: Purchase Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts on Amazon
“Pure O” OCD: Letting Go of Obsessive Thoughts with Acceptance & Commitment Therapy by Chad LeJeune
As I mentioned in the description of the last book, “Purely Obsessive” or “Pure O” means you get all the obsessive thoughts but none of the physical compulsions. It’s important to note, however, that people with Pure O can also develop thought compulsions. I have them, and they can be debilitating. This book concentrates solely on the needs of the Pure O patient. Readers will learn how to tame their Pure O through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a newer therapy modality that can be really effective at treating OCD. This is for sure one of the best OCD self help books and one of the best books for OCD intrusive thoughts.
How to read it: Purchase “Pure O” OCD on Amazon
The Self-Compassion Workbook for OCD: Lean Into Your Fear, Manage Difficult Emotions, and Focus on Recovery by Kimberly Quinlan
I can get behind “self-compassion” for your OCD. I’m certainly very hard on myself about my OCD and frequently get angry or impatient about my OCD obsessions and compulsions. In The Self-Compassion Workbook for OCD, Kimberly Quinlan offers a roadmap towards a kinder acceptance of your OCD symptoms, instead of falling prey to stigma, self-judgment, and shame. This book draws on several different therapy modalities, including CBT, exposure and response prevention (ERP), and compassion-focused therapy (CFT). The result is a one-of-a-kind tool for OCD sufferers who need to stop blaming themselves for this brain disease and certainly at the top of any lists of the best nonfiction books about OCD and the best OCD self help books.
How to read it: Purchase The Self-Compassion Workbook for OCD on Amazon
Stop Obsessing! How to Overcome Your Obsessions and Compulsions by Edna B. Foa, Ph.D., and Reid Wilson, Ph.D.
This was the first OCD self-help book that my therapist recommended, so you know it comes highly recommended. Though it was first published in 2001, Stop Obsessing! is a classic and one of the best books about OCD. Stop Obsessing! helps readers quickly gain the skills needed to start on the path to recovery. Stop Obsessing! is one of the best books for OCD sufferers and one of the top OCD books for adults.
How to read it: Purchase Stop Obsessing! on Amazon
Treating Your OCD with Exposure and Response (Ritual) Prevention Therapy Workbook by Elna Yadin, Edna B. Foa, and Tracey K. Lichner
And now for the last entry in this list of the best nonfiction books about OCD. Exposure and response (ritual) prevention therapy is a life-changing treatment that offers hope to OCD patients who have tried everything and still endure the symptoms of their OCD. I have been working with my therapist on exposure therapy and am having breakthroughs, but, with this workbook, anyone can access this therapy. You don’t need to wait to find a therapist who specializes in exposure and response therapy when you have this workbook. Get started on the road to recovery with this opportunity to work through the steps of exposure therapy yourself.
