Life in Rewind: The Story of a Young Courageous Man Who Persevered Over OCD and the Harvard Doctor Who Broke All the Rules to Help Him
Starred Review. In her first book, veteran television producer Murphy, mother of an OCD patient, recounts the extraordinary, triumphant tale of Ed Zine, a man so mired in obsessive-compulsive behavior that he was trapped for six years in his squalid basement, compelled to perform an endless series of rituals meant to stop time and the inevitability of death. Jenike, a dedicated psychiatrist with extensive experience, found Zine "as ill as any patient I had ever met." Murphy traces Zine's illness from its roots in childhood trauma (his mother's death from cancer) through its full flower, shortly after high school graduation, when it began to take over his life. Unable to get Zine out of his house, leading OCD expert Jenike  made the three-hour trip from his Boston office to Zine's Cape Cod home once a week. The bond between them developed slowly and with difficulty, but ultimately proved deeper than either suspected; after three years, Jenike mistakenly concluded that Zine's case was hopeless and stopped visiting. Zine, of course, would end up surprising them both with a dramatic recovery. A passionate, faithful narrative from a reporter who understands the stakes and the people behind them, this is a fascinating, hopeful read.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.