The literary and linguistic construction of obsessive-compulsive disorder

"What does it mean to live with obsessive-compulsive disorder in a time when the word "obsession" has become synonymous with "driven", "focused" or "infatuated"? This book presents a literary and linguistic reading of obsessive-compulsive disorder, both in its contemporary form and its historical antecedent, to argue that medical understandings of disability need their social, political, literary and linguistic counterparts, especially if we aspire to create a more inclusive society. The chapters visit memoirs, historical texts, novels and movies to demonstrate how each of these manifestations becomes a part of the "story" of OCD. In that sense, we construct reality based on the discourses that are available to us, and the discourses of OCD are yet to encompass all of its diversity and complexity"--