Archive for OCD
As part of our ongoing effort to raise awareness about neurological conditions, we are always looking for new personal stories about your lives with these diagnoses.
These stories can be completely anonymous, if you wish, or you can provide your real name or even a made-up pen name.
You don’t have to be a ‘writer’ as such – we don’t mind if you don’t have perfect English; we just want what you have to say.
We do not believe in judging others, and everyone involved in the website has been diagnosed with multiple related neurological conditions themselves.
All we want is your personal testimonials to be listed in the ‘Your Stories’ section of our website. We’ve already had so much positive feedback from the stories posted so far – they have helped others feel less alone with their symptoms, inspired people to think of themselves and their diagnoses a bit differently, and taught us all about the truth behind such conditions.
No story will be censored – these conditions often come with dark and disturbing elements, so if you feel you can’t tell your story without these, they will definitely be included on our website.
We believe the world needs to be made aware of the seriousness of such diagnoses – we want to remove the stigma in speaking out about them, but also help stop people making jokes about them.
Please do click the ‘Your Stories’ tab at the top of this page to look at what others have written.
To share your testimonial, just click the ‘Contact’ tab and write your story in the body of the message. If you’d like to remain anonymous, please list your email address as ‘anonymous@anon.com’ and give your name as ‘Anonymous’.
We hope to hear from you soon!
Vrinda, Sharon, Jennifer and Lynn
Conditional Publications
Don’t forget to get your copy of Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD – on Amazon and Amazon Kindle
Check Mates – OCD Fiction, Poetry & Art – GOT YOUR COPY YET?
Posted by: | CommentsDon’t forget to get your hands on a copy of ‘Check Mates’ - the first ever collection of fiction, poetry and artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD. It is a project conceived and developed by genuine sufferers and survivors of the condition, who met via a social networking website dedicated to OCD.
If you’re in the UK, you can buy it here, or in the US just click here.
It’s now also available in a handy Kindle edition! And be sure to visit our main page where you can read extracts from the book before you buy.
Look around and you’ll find that usually such books are either medical or autobiographical accounts of the subject – which makes ‘Check Mates’ truly unique.
It has been kindly endorsed by OCD author Jeff Bell and OCDTribe.com – the only dedicated social network for OCD.
OCD-UK also published an extract from a short story from the collection (‘The Royal Bank of Scotland’) in their members magazine back in October 2008. A portion of all profits from the sale of the book will be going to this and other OCD charities.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH A PERSONAL INTERVIEW WITH THE FOUNDER AND EDITOR OF CONDITIONAL PUBLICATIONS
The aim of the project is to help others struggling with the condition realise they’re not alone and they’re not strange for it – they don’t need to feel ashamed or suffer in silence.
We also want to make people aware of the truth behind the stereotypes of this often disabling condition. OCD seems to have taken on a ‘trendy’ persona these days, due to celebrities coming out with their condition. While we love that more people are recognising this condition and becoming aware of it, there still seems to be a definite lack of understanding of how deep it goes. It’s not just about counting and handwashing – there are dark, intrusive thoughts that go with it, thoughts that permeate every aspect of existence and can often be severely disabling – and yet, there is still always hope.
And don’t forget – we have a social network, http://conditionalpublications.ning.com, we’re on Twitter as ‘NeuroBooks’ and be sure to join the Conditional Publications fan page on Facebook!
In time, we hope Check Mates will touch people’s lives and that this venture will build up into the important niche publishing house we believe it can become.
Herbal or Pharmaceutical: Your Choice
Posted by: | CommentsLast week I read an article in the London Metro newspaper about the EU’s recent move to ban many herbal / Chinese remedies from being sold / promoted / practised in European countries. The UK government have declined to participate in this movement, instead opting to institute a requirement that all such practitioners register themselves with a new regulatory body so that their activities can be monitored in case something dangerous does come up. Read More→
Watch the ‘Check Mates’ OCD Book Launch Party!
Posted by: | CommentsThe launch party for ‘Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD’ – available on Amazon today. Also, now in a kindle edition! Part of the proceeds will be donated to OCD charities.
At the launch, Vrinda Pendred (Editor & Founder of Conditional Publications), Sharon Meyer (Promotions & Communications Assistant) and Beth Barker, all writers for ‘Check Mates’, gave readings from the book, talked about its purpose, and shared a little bit about what OCD really means.
Household chemicals responsible for some neurobehavioural disorders?
Posted by: | CommentsSurprise, surprise – the EPA are now making a list of chemicals that could put children at risk of developing neurobehavioural problems…chemicals found in almost everything we use, every day. Read the full article here.
Don’t forget to purchase your copy of Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD on all Amazon sites – now also available as a handy Kindle edition.
‘Check Mates’ is now on Kindle!
Posted by: | CommentsFor those of you who are more technologically inclined, you can now purchase the Kindle edition of Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry & Artwork about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD.
In the US, visit here.
In the UK, visit here.
2 New Interviews re: Check Mates – OCD Fiction, Poetry & Art
Posted by: | CommentsPlease do check out ‘The Unspoken Truth about OCD’ – an interview conducted by online book promoter and life coach Lynn Serafinn, here
as well as ‘OCD – Everyone Relates to It and It Can Be Overcome’, with relationship coach Geoff Laughton, which can be found here – as well as OCD, this interview touches on bipolar disorder.
Interview: What OCD Really Is, Overcoming It & Writing a Book
Posted by: | CommentsThe latest interview tied to Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD, available on Amazon now. Download and listen to the interview here (download time 4 mins on a high-speed connection):
Poem by Diane Cornell
Posted by: | CommentsThe following is a poem by Diane Cornell, who you may recall was the winner of our competition for an advance copy of Check Mates, the first ever collection of OCD fiction, poetry and artwork by people with OCD. Diane deals with OCD herself, as well as depression, but this particular poem could speak to almost anyone going through their own personal struggle.
An OCD testimonial by Rick, 42
Posted by: | CommentsOCD started when I was about 11 years old. If I did not do certain things, I believed my mom would die and it was all my fault. Just sitting in a chair didn’t feel right, so I’d do it again until it did. When walking, I had to walk backwards over my steps and repeat the process until it felt right.
I never told anyone. I thought I was crazy or a brain tumor, so I just hid it until I was 40. I started driving around the block because I’d hit a bump or pothole and think maybe I hit someone, so I’d turn the car around to check. That’s when I knew something was wrong with me and I didn’t know what, so I told my wife everything, and she made me a appointment to thedoctor.
I was so relieved to find it had a name: OCD. I was not crazy.
Everything I do has to FEEL RIGHT. If I touch or bump something, I’ll do itagain and again until it FEELS RIGHT. I always feel like everything is my fault; the GUILT is terrible. If I drop a paper or anything on the ground, I start thinking it’s gonna blow into the street and some kid will run out into the street and get hit, and it would be ALL MY FAULT.
I trace everything with my eyes like I’m drawing it. I step over cracks. If I’m in the mall and I walk by a door or windows, I imagine there’s an imaginary line protruding out through the room and I’ll step over it. I like things lined up. There is a Right and aL eft sock. I re-open envelopes after I seal them, to make sure I didn’t put anything bad in them…there are so many more.
Rick, 42