Have I mentioned how excited I am about the new website IntrusiveThoughts.org? Well, I am! Excited, that is. Ten years ago when I was diagnosed there wasn’t a ton of information out there about taboo intrusive thoughts, which is what I was struggling mightily with. Lee Baer’s book The Imp of the Mind was a tremendous help,…
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From Adversity to Advocacy: Interview With Jeff Bell
I’ve been volunteering with OCD advocate Jeff Bell’s great organization, A2A Alliance, and earlier this week he interviewed me for their new series, A2A 1-on-1. It was so much fun!
Read MoreLeading the International OCD Foundation: Jeff Szymanski
I know what you’re thinking: How do you pronounce that name? As far as I can tell, it’s something like Shhhhhmanski. But here’s the thing: You can probably* just call him Jeff! He certainly deserves the respect and honor of being called Dr. Szymanski, but he’s friendly and open enough that you’ll find yourself on a first-name basis. *For…
Read More15 Things People With OCD Want You to Know
I love talking about OCD, and it’s always interesting to see how my words are used in the final product! It’s an exercise in letting go and giving control to someone else. This time my interview—as well as several others from both people with OCD and those who treat it—was worked into a list of…
Read MoreObsessive Christmas Disorder
By now you’ve probably heard of the controversy over a holiday sweater Target is carrying this season. It reads “OCD Obsessive Christmas Disorder.” On the surface, it’s “just a sweater.” At least that’s what people keep telling me. They’ve also told me it isn’t making fun of OCD, and that “compulsive” is a pretty key…
Read MoreInternational OCD Foundation Spokesperson: Ethan S. Smith
It’s a big week—the week of the 22nd annual OCD Conference! It’s in Boston this year, where the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) is based, and I’m so excited to be a part of it again. But enough about me. Last year Ethan Smith, a Los Angeles-based actor, writer, producer, and director, delivered the conference keynote.…
Read MoreOCD Coverage in Print and on TV
This has been a big week! On Monday this article in The Atlantic came out, which I was so honored to be interviewed for so I could share why I think throwing around the term “OCD” is a problem. And on Tuesday, my appearance on Australian daytime talk show The Daily Edition aired. It was filmed live, and…
Read MoreCan You Laugh About Your OCD?
Have you seen this clip of Maria Bamford and Lena Dunham talking about their OCD symptoms? Maybe it’s because I follow a lot of pages related to OCD, but I feel like I keep running across it. At any rate, as uncomfortable as it can be to watch something like this, I’m glad these two women…
Read MoreLena Dunham, NBC News, and Me
So I’ve waited a while to post this NBCnews.com article I was interviewed for, and I’ll tell you why: I have OCD. Hold on, you already knew that. I have OCD, and I’m a proofreader, and there are mistakes in my section of the article! I haven’t been able to let it go. I can’t tell you…
Read MoreDealing with Misconceptions on the Internet
I can be really outspoken on divisive issues. I often find myself way too caught up in the comments section of some article about a politician or sparring with someone on Facebook over sexual inequality (and my husband always says, “Why do you do this to yourself? You’re never going to change this person’s mind.”).…
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Alison Dotson 