An excellent read, whether or not you have personal experience of ocd. James has a particularly absurd ocd with regard to his fear of drugs, and most of us fellow sufferers are never likely to end up with a gun at our own heads, but even so it is comforting to know that other people have such irrational, uncontrollable thoughts, and that we are not alone. I enjoyed getting to know the other characters within the book, brought to life in such an observant, understanding, and often humorous way. Would be an ideal read for anyone not living with ocd personally, but maybe with a partner or child who has the condition, as I'm sure that reading this first hand account of life with ocd would give them a greater understanding of what ocd sufferers go through on a daily basis. I was sad to finish the book, as i had so enjoyed getting to know James and the other patients and characters, and that of course is always a sign of an exceptional book!

I first heard about this book on Waterstones facebook page. I was really interested in finding out how James Bailey overcame his problems. There's a variety of people with a variety of different mental health conditions included in this book. Medical conditions are the same no matter what country you are from. There a lots of likeable characters that Bailey meets in his hospital stay. What I didn't expect to do was to find it funny and it was. Baileys ability to laugh at himself and his situation is refreshing despite how difficult a time he had before he got help and during his stay in hospital. Some of his OCD are a little bizarre, he knows this. His love of Asian girls for example. But what OCD is normal?? Nowadays, it's not considered that strange. Lots of people have it. I would recommend this book to anyone suffering with any kind of mental illness. There is light at the end of the tunnel. This book proves that seeking help is vital and more importantly, given time it works. Learning how to not take yourself so seriously and be able to laugh at yourself is a big part of the battle. As the they say, laughter is the best medicine!!!