Tuesday, September 15, 2009

143 - Saving Sammy: Curing the Boy Who Caught OCD; Beth Alison Maloney




Saving Sammy tells the touching story of a bright, active twelve year old boy, a middle child, who one day suddenly begins to exhibit strange behaviors.

Beth Maloney, a single mom of three boys, tells the story of what happened to her son Sammy. Almost overnight Sammy went from what seemed like a normal boy to one with strange rituals: he refused to bathe, had to have five different types of drinks at mealtime, refused to touch doorknobs and faucets, had issues with stairs, walked along walls, and was prone to fits of rage.

Initially thought to be caused by extreme anxiety, the family had recently moved to the coast of Maine, he was seen by therapists, then several doctors. He was prescribed various drugs in increasing doses, but nothing seemed to help. One doctor diagnosed him as having (OCD) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and later Tourette's Syndrome.

His mother Beth, unwilling to accept a diagnosis of mental illness, persists in getting to the root of her son's illness, and after two years of anguish for mother, son and siblings, she finds two physicians who helped cure Sammy. Five years later, he is symptom free.

This book is a must read for parents of a child diagnosed with OCD. There may be a curable medical reason your child is displaying strange behaviors.

RECOMMENDED.

12 comments:

  1. Sounds like a book I'd love to read. I like to read about families hardships that are overcome in the end.

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  2. Wow! That sounds like a powerful and important book.

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  3. I really need to read this book!! I read and enjoyed Against Medical Advice and always find myself drawn to someone overcoming OCD/Tourette's.

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  4. Sounds like a great book and one that I might enjoy reading!!! I love your blog, especially the variations of smiley faces for your recommendations! :)

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  5. Bermudaonion says it well! Thanks for a great review.

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  6. I do have a member of my family that suffers with mild OCD, but he has never really dealt with it. It is as if he is actually scared to make it public. I think this would be an ideal book for him.

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  7. That really does sound like a powerful book. Nice review!

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  8. I have always been interested in reading about OCD, and this book sounds like something that I would find really interesting.

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  9. One of my kids has OCD -- it can be truly heart-wrenching. Thanks for introducing me to this book.

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  10. Wow, sounds really interesting. I'm very excited to hear that this book has a happy ending too. Definitely want to read about this.

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  11. I think I have this one on my RL at PBS, but if I don't I'll definitely be adding it!

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  12. You were the one who inspired me to buy this book. :-) I just posted my review, and I linked to yours.

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