Nowhere Near Normal: A Memoir of OCD

Foust has suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder for nearly three decades. To relieve herself of her anxiety and to calm her fears, she would pull her own hair, snap her fingers whenever she heard the word “God”, and point all of her Catholic saint statues north. She had an unnatural obsession with contracting eradicated diseases and had a fear of the sun. From an outside perspective, this may seem crazy, but from the perspective of someone that suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, this can be everyday living (surviving is more accurate).

The question and answer session is very enlightening to all of those who are still confused about the difference between obsessive-compulsive disorder and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, among other things. I highly encourage checking it out, along with her memoir.

If you are looking for more obsessive-compulsive disorder books to stock your shelves, you can also check out Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder for DUMMIES (which was originally mentioned on our psychedelic mushroom post) and Brain Lock – Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior (here is our original post on the book).

Have you read Foust’s Nowhere Near Normal? What was your take on it? Do you have any other books to recommend? Let us know in the comments!

Kate suffers from one of the most common compulsions: checking. She constantly wonders if she locked the door or turned off the oven, among other things. One day, she got the idea to use her iPhone’s camera to take pictures to remind herself. For example, she takes pictures of the door in the ‘locked’ position as evidence that she locked the door.

Many people would think she would end up checking her phone as a result, but according to Kate, just knowing the pictures are there is enough, and knowing that she can look at those pictures anytime, she has no reason to worry.

This is an excellent example of how someone can take what many of us consider a luxury and use to it actually improve their quality of life. Of course, for those with an iPhone, you could always use an assortment of apps, such as iCounselor (pending review), but this article shows us that we do not need anything extravagant to take care of our basic necessities.

What other tips and tricks have you discovered with your phones, or any other common piece of technology? Do you think such basic technology can be effective in controlling OCD symptoms? Leave us your thoughts in the comments!

My mother-in-law found a book a few weeks ago that caught both my and my wife’s interests: Natural Alternatives for You and Your Home: 175 Recipes to Make Eco-Friendly Products. My wife, being the nature-freak that she is, decided to take notes on many of the recipes contained in this book. One of the most intriguing was the use of Kava for anxiety and stress-related disorders, such as our shared illness, obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Here’s a little back-story on Kava: it is generally consumed in certain Pacific Ocean cultures as a sedative and an anesthetic, with the benefit of not disrupting mental clarity. There is some concern over liver toxicity, and heavy use is thought to lead to malnutrition, weight loss, and rashes, among other things, so use at your own risk! As always, moderation is key.

You can find kava capsules or extract at numerous health food stores, both brick-and-mortar and online. A quick search of Amazon pulled up quite a few hits, such as NOW Foods Kava Kava Extract 250mg, 120 Capsules for $17.46, which I feel is a small price to pay for relief from obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Have you found any other natural remedies for obsessive-compulsive disorder, or any other anxiety disorders? Do you have any questions or concerns? Let us know in the comments!

I was looking through my local bookstore the other day, and I found an something amazing: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder for DUMMIES. The book itself is not important right now, and I’ll be sure to review it later. Instead, I want to focus on something I found within the book.

The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry recently published a study linking psilocybin, the psychoactive substance found in “shrooms”. The nine test subjects, who all suffered from severe OCD, reported being symptom-free for up to 24 hours, with reduced symptoms for several days.  Dr. Francisco A. Moreno, the doctor leading the experiment, even pointed out that while most medication takes weeks to show signs of improvement, psilocybin took effect almost immediately.

We’re very interested to see how far this could go. With enough research, could psychedelic mushrooms be legalized for medicinal use? Even if they could, should they? At the risk of opening up a moral debate, let us know your opinion by leaving a comment!

What’s the difference between OCD and OCPD?

There are many similarities between the two, hence the shared name. Both groups tend to have a sense of urgency about their actions, and both seem to high-achievers. Their rigidness may cause conflict, and this conflict only heightens stress, anxiety, and frustration. However, sufferers of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder are typically perfectionists, seeing their way as the only correct way. Victims of obsessive-compulsive disorder, however, see their disorder as a curse; they disagree entirely with what they are being told. They see their actions, whether it be washing their hands twenty times a day or reciting “mantras”, as excessive and/or ridiculous, but continue to perform these rituals simply because they (temporarily) reduce anxiety. They are powerless to the thoughts that continuously plague their minds.

In shortened terms, OCPD sufferers support their condition, while OCD sufferers fight it.

It is important to remember, however, that one person can have both of these disorders, and it can be difficult to discern one from the other. However, a licensed professional should be able to accurately diagnose the condition, and proceed with the proper treatment.

How often have you noticed the misconception? How many of you were not aware of the difference? Do you have loved ones that suffer from OCPD? We want to hear your stories, so if you’d like to share, leave them in the comments!

• Know What You Can Control:  Happiness depends on understand what is and what is not within our control.  Trying to control the uncontrollable will only bring sorrow.
• Accept Events as They Occur:  Events themselves don’t trouble us, only our reactions.
• Overcoming Difficulties:  What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.
• Focus on What is Important:  Disregard everything deemed trivial or irrelevant to attaining your goals.
• Avoid Adopting Other People’s Negative Views:  Negative thoughts can be, and usually are, contagious.
• Seeking to Please Others is a Perilous Trap:  Pursue only what you deem essential to your life, not what others desire of you.
• Understanding the Divine Order in Life:  Everything happens for a reason.
• Be Careful About the Company You Keep:  Humans imitate each other, adopting opinions and values from those around us.  If you do not agree with the moral values of those around you, do not associate yourself with them.
• Prefer Enduring Satisfaction to Immediate Gratification:  This is a very important point when pertaining to OCD.  It is better to fight the OCD in some way, such as using the four-step method, twelve-step method, or the seven steps to freedom, as opposed to simply giving in to your compulsions to relieve anxiety, because it will simply make things worse.
• Beauty and Inner Excellence:  People place too much emphasis on their physical appearance while neglecting their inner qualities.
• Forgiveness: Be willing to forgive others and yourself over and over again, and just attempt to do better next time.
• Serenity: Moral progress results in freedom from inner turmoil.

I am greatly fascinated in the teachings of ancient philosophers.  Have you found similar teachings from other great philosophers?  Share them in the comments!

So, how should you set up your journal?  This is how I have chosen to set up mine:

[DATE]

Obsession:  _____________

Compulsion:  ______________

~[SPECIFICS/SOLUTIONS]

Although this is just preference, I only write on one side of the page.  To me, it makes things a little more organized, as well as frees up space for hobbies, such as creative writing or drawing.

What kind of notebook should I use?

This comes down to personal preference, but I have always found myself drawn to the Moleskine Ruled Notebook Large, or one of its many knock-offs.  The size is the main factor for me, because I’d rather not carry around an 8.5″ x 11″ spiral notebook around with me everywhere I go.  At the same time, however, I want something big enough that I can write a substantial amount on one sheet.  Combine that with the fact that Moleskine notebooks are generally very sturdy, and you have the perfect notebook!

The Alternative: Blogging

Most of us spend most of our time on the Internet anyways, so why not use a blog in place of a standard journal?  You can easily use WordPress.com, Blogger, or one of the numerous other blogging platforms for your journal entry.  I have decided to have mine at multiple places, with headquarters being myOCD at Posterous, which gets many of its posts from our very own myOCD. Through Posterous, I can upload to other platforms, as well, including Twitter and Facebook.

Do you have any other suggestions for tracking OCD, or maybe some journal tips and tricks?  Leave them in the comments!

Unfortunately, many of the symptoms that plague adults with OCD are just as common in children. In fact, OCD generally begins in childhood, usually around the age of seven. Children will do their best to hide their symptoms out of shame, embarrassment, or even fear that they might be crazy. They also may not be able to talk about their obsessions, due to lack of vocabulary or insight. However, parents can usually point out some of the compulsions that go along with those obsessions. So what kinds of symptoms should you look out for?

Possible Symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

• Counting aloud repeatedly.
• Excessive concern with appearance.
• Excessive worry about religion.
• Hoarding.
• Finding interest in “lucky” and “unlucky” objects, including numbers.
• Excessive concern about cleanliness.
• Checking locks repeatedly.
• Repetition.
• Strict routines, reacting in anger when routines are broken.
• Demanding symmetry and order.

If your child exhibits any of these symptoms, it could be a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder. HOWEVER!, your child having one or two of these symptoms does not necessarily mean your child has OCD.  Also, this list is not all-inclusive.  Obsessive-compulsive disorder can take many different forms.  The most important criteria to determining whether your child has OCD is:

Does it interfere with my child’s quality of life?

When you strip everything else away, that is what a disorder truly is. If you feel your child does have a disorder, it may not be obsessive-compulsive disorder. There are many other related conditions, which is why it is important to go to a professional. Although mistakes do happen, licensed professionals are generally the most qualified to make a diagnosis.

Do you have a child that suffers from OCD?  What symptoms have you noticed?  Do you have any questions or concerns?  Leave them in the comments!

The Seven Steps to Freedom

1. Realize that you have OCD.
2. Believe that you can rid yourself of OCD.
3. Realize it is all in your head.  Although outside forces can have an influence, the problem itself exists in your brain.
4. Realize you create your OCD.
5. OCD is not real.  You invented it.
6. People without OCD don’t think about it.  This is the reason most people fail to understand why one man has to wash his hands twenty times in an hour, but it can also help you realize #6:  It’s not real!
7. Be aware that realizing the above steps is half the battle to becoming free from obsessive-compulsive disorder.

My first time reading through this, I found it redundant.  However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how useful this list is.  Using basic logic to understand OCD can sometimes be enough to break yourself of it.

What is your opinion on the Seven Steps?  Have you found any more of these “step” programs that seem to work with treating OCD?  Share your thoughts in the comments.

The Twelve Steps of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

1. We admitted we were powerless over compulsive/addictive behaviors — that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others still suffering from the effects of compulsive behaviors and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Although religion is one of the basic principles of the Twelve Step Method, having a religious affiliation is not a requirement by any means.  If you are not a believer, you can easily switch out “God” for anything, including maybe family and/or friends. As the saying goes, “There is more than one way to skin a cat”.

Would you like to make any changes to this list?  Do you have any other programs that could be useful for “curing” OCD?  Let us know in the comments!