At age 16, Joe Wells wrote Touch and Go Joe, sharing his experiences living with OCD from the age of 9. Since then, Joe has been working in comedy, in stand-up and writing for the BBC and magazines. Recently, he has been writing about mental health and neurodiversity. Dr Amita Jassi is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the National and Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorder Service for Children and Young People (South London and Maudsley NHS Trust). She lives in London, UK.

• Foreword by Dr. Amita Jassi and Isobel Heyman 7Acknowledgements 9What's This Book About? 11Chapter 1. Worrying 13Chapter 2. Poisoning of the Mind 18Chapter 3. Only Human 22Chapter 4. Guilty Mind 31Chapter 5. Am I Going Mad? 36Chapter 6. Learning to Count 41Chapter 7. Keeping My Secret 45Chapter 8. Learning to Walk the Walk 49Chapter 9. OCD Abroad 52Chapter 10. Getting Help 60Chapter 11. Convincing Myself of OCD'sIrrationality 68Chapter 12. Challenging 72Chapter 13. Depression and OCD 78Chapter 14. Citalopram 83Chapter 15. The Awful Truth 94Chapter 16. Getting On With It 99Chapter 17: 16 Years LaterEpilogue. The 30 20 Diary 105Appendix 1. Definition of OCD and CBT 110Appendix 2. OCD Tips and Advice 114Further Information 121Index 125

A candid and logical illustration of the irrational nonsense a mind can throw at us, Joe's unique story and powerful conclusions are much more informative and uplifting than anything I've managed to privately muster ('it really didn't matter how many times you tapped that door handle she was going to dump you anyway'.)

At age 16, Joe Wells wrote Touch and Go Joe, sharing his experiences living with OCD from the age of 9. Since then, Joe has been working in comedy, in stand-up and writing for the BBC and magazines. Recently, he has been writing about mental health and neurodiversity. Dr Amita Jassi is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the National and Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorder Service for Children and Young People (South London and Maudsley NHS Trust). She lives in London, UK.

• Foreword by Dr. Amita Jassi and Isobel Heyman 7Acknowledgements 9What's This Book About? 11Chapter 1. Worrying 13Chapter 2. Poisoning of the Mind 18Chapter 3. Only Human 22Chapter 4. Guilty Mind 31Chapter 5. Am I Going Mad? 36Chapter 6. Learning to Count 41Chapter 7. Keeping My Secret 45Chapter 8. Learning to Walk the Walk 49Chapter 9. OCD Abroad 52Chapter 10. Getting Help 60Chapter 11. Convincing Myself of OCD'sIrrationality 68Chapter 12. Challenging 72Chapter 13. Depression and OCD 78Chapter 14. Citalopram 83Chapter 15. The Awful Truth 94Chapter 16. Getting On With It 99Chapter 17: 16 Years LaterEpilogue. The 30 20 Diary 105Appendix 1. Definition of OCD and CBT 110Appendix 2. OCD Tips and Advice 114Further Information 121Index 125

A candid and logical illustration of the irrational nonsense a mind can throw at us, Joe's unique story and powerful conclusions are much more informative and uplifting than anything I've managed to privately muster ('it really didn't matter how many times you tapped that door handle she was going to dump you anyway'.)

At age 16, Joe Wells wrote Touch and Go Joe, sharing his experiences living with OCD from the age of 9. Since then, Joe has been working in comedy, in stand-up and writing for the BBC and magazines. Recently, he has been writing about mental health and neurodiversity. Dr Amita Jassi is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the National and Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorder Service for Children and Young People (South London and Maudsley NHS Trust). She lives in London, UK.

• Foreword by Dr. Amita Jassi and Isobel Heyman 7Acknowledgements 9What's This Book About? 11Chapter 1. Worrying 13Chapter 2. Poisoning of the Mind 18Chapter 3. Only Human 22Chapter 4. Guilty Mind 31Chapter 5. Am I Going Mad? 36Chapter 6. Learning to Count 41Chapter 7. Keeping My Secret 45Chapter 8. Learning to Walk the Walk 49Chapter 9. OCD Abroad 52Chapter 10. Getting Help 60Chapter 11. Convincing Myself of OCD'sIrrationality 68Chapter 12. Challenging 72Chapter 13. Depression and OCD 78Chapter 14. Citalopram 83Chapter 15. The Awful Truth 94Chapter 16. Getting On With It 99Chapter 17: 16 Years LaterEpilogue. The 30 20 Diary 105Appendix 1. Definition of OCD and CBT 110Appendix 2. OCD Tips and Advice 114Further Information 121Index 125

A candid and logical illustration of the irrational nonsense a mind can throw at us, Joe's unique story and powerful conclusions are much more informative and uplifting than anything I've managed to privately muster ('it really didn't matter how many times you tapped that door handle she was going to dump you anyway'.)