Kissing Doorknobs

Kissing Doorknobs

Author: Terry Spencer Hesser

Publisher: Random House (1998)

ISBN: 9780440413141

5 (out of 5) STARS

Summary: When Tara was eleven her obsessive-compulsive disorder erupted in full force. After working through many misdiagnoses and new compulsions she finally learns about her condition and starts to get help.

Review: Tara worried about nearly everything from the time she was a little girl. She also suffered extreme anxious as a young child when she was away from her mother. When Tara was eleven she heard the rhyme “step on a crack, break your mother’s back.” She could not get it out of her head. And then Tara’s life began to unravel. She began counting the cracks in the sidewalk on her way to school. If she lost count or missed a crack, she had to run home and start over again. Tara did not like having to do this and often cried on her way to school. But she had to count, she just had to.

Over time Tara’s compulsions would wane and then flair up again. Often the compulsions would change. One of the most time consuming compulsions was when Tara would have to kiss the front door doorknob with just the exact amount of pressure on her mouth and again on the doorknob. She had to do it 33 times before she could open the front door.

Finally after visiting many doctors and receiving many incorrect diagnoses, Tara meet someone who knew about her condition (obsessive compulsive disorder) and was able to find her help and a new friend who understood her.