How many of you have ever left the house, gotten half way to your destination and were convinced that you had left the oven on, or left the door open, even though the rational side of you knew you had not?  The more you tried to think about it, the more you became obsessed. Until you had no choice but to turn back, go home and find that yes, the oven was off, or the door was closed. 

Then imagine this kind of obsession impacting every aspect of your life. Turned on 24/7, often about the same issues.  That gives you just a glimpse into the life of someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD.)  

Science journalist,  David Adam has been dealing with OCD, our fourth most common mental disorder, since he was a young student.  

In his book The Man Who Couldn't Stop: OCD and the True Story of a Life Lost in Thought, hegives us a glimpse of the illness, its causes and treatments.

My conversation with David Adams: