People say the darnedest things. And sometimes they say the most insensitive things. Whilst it’s great that obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has received enough media attention that it’s no longer a dirty secret, it is obvious that many people still fail to understand the true severity of this anxiety disorder. When people say things like “I’m so OCD about that,” what they don’t get is that were they really suffering from OCD they would be trapped in an endless cycle of intrusive thoughts and anxiety, held hostage by their own minds, and often barely able to function in their lives.Click here for more
May 152012
Mar 132012
When I was a child, before I’d ever heard of the term obsessive compulsive disorder, I didn’t know what to make of my thoughts, other than that they were embarrassing and had to be kept secret at all costs.
Fortunately today, OCD is well recognized, so most people have heard of it. However, without personally experiencing the horror of OCD symptoms, it’s unlikely that others will understand the serious grip that OCD has on a person. This is only made worse if your particular set of symptoms falls in the embarrassing end of the spectrum, like the woman who avoided seeking help for twenty-four years because she was too embarrassed to reveal she thought she had semen on her hands. Click here for more
You may have a partner with OCD, or you might be considering starting a relationship, but hesitant because the object of your affections has OCD. It can certainly be challenging if a person’s symptoms threaten to interfere with all the fun you’d like to have. But then again, nobody’s perfect. We all have something that nags us.
I’ve met many people with OCD, and without exception, they have been sweet, humble, empathic and without arrogance. OCD sufferers are also highly intelligent and extremely strong in spite of the craziness inside their heads.
If that special someone in your life happens to have OCD, take heart. Many OCD sufferers manage to lead normal (or crazy and normal) lives, which includes marriage, children and career. Click here for more
Why is the media so fixated on OCD being about hoarding, when hoarding is the opposite of everything that OCD stands for? People with OCD tend to be organized, neat freaks and clean. Hoarders on the other hand are disorganized, messy and a general health and safety hazard. They could not be further from the definition of obsessive compulsive disorder if they tried.
Do hoarders even have the obsessions and compulsions that are so integral to OCD, or is their hoarding mindless? Most hoarders will tell you that they don’t even know how their hoarding got so out of hand. Is that the meticulous attitude of someone with OCD? I don’t think so! It’s a mystery how hoarding ever got labeled as OCD. Click here for more
Dr. Annabelle R. Charbit has very graciously given us permission to repost a review of her new novel about obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Just lately, after enduring disappointments by the writings of some vastly successful authors in the mass-market genre, I found myself in need of refreshment, a change, something quirky and original, a treat for the serious reader. That truly much-appreciated treat came in the form of the perversely enjoyable A Life Lived Ridiculously by Dr. Annabelle R. Charbit.
In short, A Life Lived Ridiculously is about Maxine, a girl with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) who falls in love with a sociopath, Sam, a smooth-talking charmer with sufficient incurable diseases to eliminate a small village and living a life so grave that it makes a Greek tragedy feel as depthless as a prime-time soap opera. Click here for more
