I Know You Really Love Me: A Psychiatrist's Account of Stalking and Obsessive Love

In September 1989, Doreen Orion was just beginning her psychiatric practice when one of her female patients developed an erotomanic obsession with her. Over the next eight years, this patient skulked outside of Orion's house and at her workplace, leaving bizarre messages, watching her, and making her unwelcome presence known in virtually every aspect of her life. In I Know You Really Love Me, Orion recounts her legal and emotional struggles as she tried to take control of the situation.

As a psychiatrist, Orion has fascinating insights into the condition that causes some people to obsess inappropriately over others. She also describes compellingly the feelings of helplessness and fear that stalking causes its victims--but always with the compassion and understanding of someone who works with the mentally ill. Her unique perspective as both a victim and a professional makes I Know You Really Love Me not just a blow-by-blow account of a stalking, but a practical guide to understanding, avoiding, and discouraging stalkers. --Lisa Higgins