"Marc Summers' story has inspired millions of people struggling with OCD and other anxiety disorders to seek help."

-- Tom Styron, Ph.D., [Former] Executive Director of the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation

"In sharing his personal battle with anxiety disorders, Marc Summers gives hope and courage to the many individuals and their families who suffer from these illnesses."

-- Mary Guardino, Founder, Executive Director, Freedom From Fear

Most people recognize Marc Summers not only as a television talk show host, but the guy who was regularly doused with oatmeal, raw eggs, and vanilla pudding on Nickelodeon's popular game show, Double Dare. What few viewers know is that while Marc always smiled for the cameras, inwardly he was consumed with anxiety. It wasn't until preeminent psychiatrist Dr. Eric Hollander appeared as a guest on Summers's Lifetime talk show that the source of his distress became clear.

He shares his story in his entertaining and irreverent new book, EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE: My Trials and Triumphs with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (A Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam book). Summers not only describes living with the disorder that has troubled him since childhood; he also provides a hilarious, behind-the-scenes look at the world of television.

In this witty, insightful memoir, Summers takes readers through his normal upbringing in the Midwest and his quest to become a successful television personality. He was in first grade when he first realized he was consumed with neatness and order, and he recounts many stories of how OCD -- which he didn't discover he had until the age of 43 -- made him feel different and at times very isolated from his peers.

• From the time he was in first grade through high school, Marc spent every Sunday meticulously cleaning and dusting his room instead of playing outside with his friends and siblings.
  
• If he made the slightest mistake on a homework assignment, he would re-do the entire assignment from scratch instead of simply erasing the error.
  
• In college, Marc's roommate would take bets on how many minutes Marc could go before emptying the trash can after something was placed in it.

The cause of obsessive compulsive disorder in most people seems to be a problem with their serotonin system.

Serotonin is one of the many different neurotransmitters that help our nerve cells "talk" to each other. It plays a role in regulating anxiety, appetite, sex drive, mood, and the assessment of danger. In most people suffering from OCD, it seems likely that the receptors that serotonin stimulates after crossing synapses are overly sensitive, so the brain has an exaggerated response, which may help account for the constant sense of danger OCD sufferers feel. In essence, OCD is the "brain on hiccups."

OCD can take several forms, including an obsession with order, an obsession with contamination, hoarding, fear of harming others, and the irrational urge to check things.

While almost everyone obsesses about something at one point or another in his or her life, people with OCD usually have multiple obsessions and compulsions. People are only considered to have OCD if their obsessions and compulsions are severe enough to cause distress, consume an inordinate amount of their time and interfere with their functioning in daily life. One famous OCD sufferer was Howard Hughes, who was a hoarder and so fearful of germs that he refused to leave his house or throw anything away. Although Hughes had a genius mentality, OCD overtook his life. However, there are many people -- including Howard Stern, Roseanne Barr, and Howie Mandell -- who have the disorder and have not allowed it to get in the way of their personal or professional success.

Everything in Its Place is a wonderfully compelling and readable story, full of hope and inspiration-not to mention celebrity gossip and humor. Written with the perspective of the doctor who helped Summers manage his symptoms, this book provides the latest information on medical intervention from the point of view of someone who's actually been through it and come out on top.

Says Summers, "Frankly, I think almost everyone has a touch of the disorder, and we can learn to channel it in productive ways. It could be that the fast-track CEO in the corner office, you know, the one who's always on time, who's on top of every detail and can find every piece of paper in her neat desk, is an example of someone who's learned to live successfully with OCD."

About The Author:

Marc Summers is the former host of the popular Double Dare and What Would You Do? game shows, ABC's Home Show, Lifetime's Our Home, Biggers and Summers, and most recently, PAX-TV's Great Day America. As a national spokesperson for the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation, he has appeared on Oprah, the Today show, Dateline, and The Howard Stern Show, as well as profiled in People Magazine and USA Today. Summers lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife, Alice, and two teenagers.

Eric Hollander, M.D., is Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Director of the Compulsive, Impulsive and Anxiety Disorders Program, and Clinical Director of the Seaver Autism Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He has authored and edited more than 300 scientific publications on psychiatric topics including obsessive compulsive and related disorders.

EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE

My Trials and Triumphs with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

By Marc Summers, with Eric Hollander, M.D.

A Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam Book

October 4, 1999

$21.95 U.S. / $30.99 CANADA

ISBN 0-87477-990-1

Visit Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc. online at http://www.penguinputnam.com