Usually when you read books on these conditions, they will be medical non-fiction or a parents’ guide to raising their afflicted child.  Too rarely are the true experts – the sufferers themselves – given a chance to tell us what it’s really like to live with such disorders.

Conditional Publications is going to change all this.  This brand new, much-needed niche company is run entirely by people with nervous disorders, so they understand the subjects and the frustrations experienced by so many sufferers on a daily basis.

The company’s exciting entrance onto the publishing scene is marked with its first major release, ‘Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD’, coming to Amazon on 11 May 2010.  Astoundingly, this is the first ever book of its kind…but it’s definitely not the last.

Divided between ‘Realism’ and the ‘Beyond’, this book drives the absurdity and horror of OCD straight home.  It has been put together by writers and artists from around the world, and showcases a wide range of emotions, from love to hate, joy to rage, fear and sorrow to hope and optimism.  There’s even a little bit of humour!  Everyone will find something to relate to.

What it doesn’t do is shy away from the truth.  Every angle is covered, no matter how painful, which makes for a startling and moving read.

If you have OCD, you’re going to find yourself in this book and realise you’re definitely not alone.  If you don’t have OCD…you’re probably going to find a little of yourself anyway, because that’s what this book does: it forces us to look at our own neuroses.  I think this book is set to crack wide open a few stereotypes that have been flying around for far too long.

And as if that’s not enough, part of the proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to OCD charities.

‘Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction, Poetry and Artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, by People with OCD’ is coming to Amazon on 11 May 2010.  To show support of this inspirational new book, a collection of authors, coaches and healers from around the world will be giving away free online gifts if you purchase the book on its launch date of 11th May.

AND … Vrinda Pendred, the editor of ‘Check Mates’, is giving away an EXTRA special gift of her own: ‘The Passenger’, an unpublished short story about Tourette Syndrome.

Be sure to sign up for a “launch reminder” HERE, and then mark your diary for May 11^th!

I have the more Compulsive side of OCD – probably due to the fact that it is co-morbid with Tourette Syndrome.  I have had the stereotypical handwashing and compulsive checking, as well as a few obsessional thoughts I just couldn’t shake.

I tried Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for it but found it 9/10ths useless. However, when I started to be treated with Zoloft for Depression, my OCD got up and walked away.  I don’t have any compulsions these days, so my thoughts on OCD are muted.  It’s never been my biggest issue; it’s always just been me.

Caroline

Click below to order Check Mates, the first ever collection of fiction poetry and artwork about OCD

amazon.com amazon.co.uk amazon.ca

Included in the proposal is the combination of all autistic disorders into one single entry for Autistic Spectrum Disorders – as well as the consolidation of certain psychotic conditions, and a new category for Psychosis Risk, intended to help treat patients earlier rather than once the problems have overtaken them.  There will be rules enstated in order to prevent overdiagnosis…so they say.

I happen to think in some ways this is a step in the right direction, because the DSM was becoming cluttered with 1,001 different disorders when many of them seem to be aspects of the same few things.  Having a risk category could possibly be useful, too – particularly for people who are trying to understand extra symptoms they may have without having a full-blown condition.

The obvious worry, though,  is that doctors may distort this and start prescribing drugs to people who really don’t need them and can get on fine in life without them.  It’s possible that we don’t need a new diagnosis for such things, but rather more public awareness of the truth that most people probably share some of these symptoms without even thinking about it.

They are also proposing to revamp the whole personality disorders section.  Reading their suggested amendments, it seems a good move.  It feels clearer and less extreme, allowing room for the notion that people with such conditions are human, like anyone else – fancy that!

You can read more about the changes in the Scientific American article, and whatever your view on the matter, please do get involved here.

Vrinda Pendred
Editor & Founder of Conditional Publications

I proudly present ‘Our Daily Meds’ by Melody Peterson.  This book exposes all the pharmaceutical industry horror stories I’m sure many of us are aware of, but in graphic detail we often turn a blind eye to because, well, it’s terrifying.

I heard about this on Madness Radio, when they interviewed the author – it seems an invluable book to look at, if we ever hope to overcome the pharmaceutical grip on today’s Western approach to health.  For more information, view the book on Amazon, or try listening to the interview on Madness Radio – a free podcast accessible via iTunes.

Vrinda Pendred
Editor & Founder of Conditional Publications

I, for one, have turned a blind eye to this subject for too many years, because let’s face it, I like pizza and ice cream!  But at what cost?  That’s why this week I decided to be sensible and shift our family’s diet for good.

I will be honest: I like tofu, but I hate soya milk/yogurt, so I don’t know how to cut out dairy completely.  But the no-gluten has turned out to be surprisingly easy.  The main issue is cost.  There is corn pasta, for example, which is delicious and naturally gluten-free…but it costs twice as much as a bag of normal wheat pasta, and you can’t go and get it from your local corner shop at 7pm when you realise you’ve run out of food!

So we’ve decided, for now, to try having almost no gluten or dairy – to minimise our intake of such foods greatly and save them for occasional treats.  As it turns out, this is simply achieved.

We also happen to be vegetarian, so we’re following a book called The Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook by Professor Jennie Brand Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell and Joanna McMillan.  Everything looks fantastic, and at the back they even lay out what to keep stocked in your pantry, fridge and freezer.  We did a big shop yesterday of mostly tinned and frozen foods, as well as bagged beans, seeds and nuts – so it will keep over the next couple weeks, plus it’s all so good for you, as well as being filling.  Last night, I even made a crustless apple crumble with cinnamon, apples, oats, a tiny smidgen of butter, lemon juice and agave syrup, the ultimate natural healthy sugar substitute.  It was just as good as any other apple crumble, but it had hardly any calories and was even good for you.

This isn’t about dieting – it’s about cutting down on the allergies and living sensibly.  I also have to say the cooking has been so beneficial for my ADD.  It fills up spaces of time when I would otherwise feel listless and overwhelmed by racing thoughts – it focuses my attention so much that my mind is clear and even my Tourette’s tics seem to calm down for the time.
So now the only question is: how many of you are ready to join me?

Vrinda Pendred
Editor & Founder of Conditional Publications

It discusses the much debated theory that conditions such as Tourette’s, OCD, Autism and ADHD are the result of autoimmune responses to strep infections in childhood. The theory goes that symptoms of such disorders are the result of an overactive immune response to the strep bacteria (presumably due to a genetic predisoposition).  Joining up the dots, I would say this holds some weight, considering how many people with such disorders seem to have a number of allergies – another overactive autoimmune response.

Mady Hornig at Columbia University is working with the original PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections) theorist, Susan Swedo, to carry out rigorous testing into this idea.  In recent research, they have begun injecting mice with strep bacteria and have learned they can induce anxiety and tics this way.  However, luckily they are looking into ways to apply this knowledge other than dosing us all up with Penicillin.

Vrinda Pendred
Editor & Founder of Conditional Publications