Title: Life in a Whirlwind of Numbers, 26 years of OCD, 2nd Edition
Author: David William Dahlberg
Publisher: Createspace
ISBN: 978-1502555540
Pages: 172
Genre: Mental Health/Psychology/Autobiography
Reviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
When you hear, the term OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, images may abound of someone swept up in fierce ardor scrubbing their hands repeatedly or perhaps methodically flicking a light switch while furiously counting to themselves. However, many OCD sufferers understand that the effects run so much more deeply than just the unexplained compulsion to act or an intense obsession involving numbers, it is a painful existence, devoured by time-consuming rituals, driven by fears, and riddled with loneliness.
Author David W. Dahlberg suffered from OCD and through his autobiographical work; Life in a Whirlwind of Numbers, 26 years of OCD, 2nd Edition courageously divulges his personal twenty-six year struggle with the debilitating disorder. His is a poignant story, which brings to light the torments, failures, and successes of his years living a life discomforted by his obsessions and rituals. Author Dahlberg shares his brilliantly cognizant perspective to readers within the pages of his book. His story of suffering presents his disheartening but also triumphant life experience, which elucidates and sends out a message of hope and camaraderie to other OCD sufferers like him.
This profoundly touching autobiography will reach readers on several emotional levels, as they journey with the author through his many plights while encumbered with OCD. The effects of his illness were so severe in fact, that on occasion he was rendered virtually helpless during common situations like school, work, driving, dating, and relationships.
Author Dahlberg mindfully recounts his stricken years, detailing his behaviors and thought processes as his disorder progressed. His tumultuous story spans from his early childhood with the illness dormant, to his teens and adulthood with the illness devastatingly prevalent making him subject to a life riddled with number obsession and numerous painstaking rituals. Further clarifying the extent of the affliction’s progression, he details other affecting factors like the lack of awareness, diagnosis, and proper medicine.
I was touched by reading Life in a Whirlwind of Numbers, 26 years of OCD, 2nd Edition; it was an engaging, mind-expanding read that shed a brighter light on a subject not often discussed. I particularly found the information about recognizing the symptoms in his daughter enlightening. I like this book; author Dahlberg expresses a naturally fluent, knowledgeable, and friendly tone to his writing, making it easy to consider this read, thought stimulating, and memorable. I recommend reading this tumultuous memoir not only for those suffering or their loved ones but also to anyone with a passing interest in a good human-interest story.
