Life in Rewind by Terry Weible Murphy

() If you're really interested in delving overbearingly deep into the mind and background of an incredibly mentally ill individual, (maybe you're a psychiatry student?) this would be a good pick for you. If you're just looking for a good read, perhaps not.

This is the true, held-up-to-a-microscope story of a man whose life was debilitated and disintegrating due to severe OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). His specific grounds for the disease lay in the idea that, "time equals progression - progression equals death." He would have to "rewind" moments of time in backwards motions, thoughts, and speech; this would supposedly slow, stop, or at least protect his loved ones from getting closer to death. This philosophy lay rooted in the childhood trauma of watching his mother die right before his eyes.

One doctor spent an enormous amount of effort and care with Ed, the man stricken with OCD. But only after the doctor felt Ed's was a hopeless case did Ed finally make independent strides towards improving his health. He eventually becomes an average American with a family, job, and education. He goes from not being able to shower or leave his basement to being a regular Joe you wouldn't look twice at on the street. He thanks his emotion, intellect, and honor; also, the people around him that continually cared for him throughout the ordeal - especially the doctor.

Though it is an interesting story, I continually had to push myself to read further throughout the book. Some parts were very long-winded and unnecessary to your average reader. (I really don't need to know the life story of every single person surrounding Ed.) However, it would be a good read for a student or health care professional.