Welcome, welcome to this week’s Tuesday Q&A! About a year ago I started to see today’s guest, Angie Alexander, comment with compassion and wisdom in some of the OCD support groups I belong to on Facebook, and then one weekend afternoon last spring we participated in a four-person video all about intrusive thoughts. Angie was…
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The Secret Illness
The Secret Illness is a beautiful, illuminating art project that spreads awareness of OCD to those who don’t understand what it really is and helps those who understand it all too well feel less alone. It gives sufferers an outlet for sharing their stories without fear of stigma, because their faces are pixelated and they…
Read MoreTackling Stigma: Mark Joyella
If you know me, you know I believe we all have the power to spread awareness, even if it’s to one other person in our lives, and that every little bit matters. A journalist with nearly 12,000 followers on Twitter, Mark Joyella is in a position to spread awareness far and wide, and we’re lucky enough…
Read MoreFacing OCD Head-On: Jonathan Grayson
Maybe you haven’t met Jonathan Grayson in person, and maybe you haven’t read his book—yet. But if you’ve been to the International OCD Conference, you’ve probably seen him leading a huge group of people through the hotel lobby, armed with a bullhorn. Ask a random sampling of these people what their favorite part of the…
Read MoreBook Review: Because We Are Bad
Because We Are Bad (Canbury Press, May 2016) is an apt title for this charming yet heartbreaking and gripping memoir: Author Lily Bailey thought that she had to be perfect to keep her family safe, and part of being perfect was performing rituals the “right” way every time and keeping a log of everything she’d done wrong…
Read MoreLeaving the OCD Circus: Kirsten Pagacz
Kirsten Pagacz seems to lead a dream life—just browse through some of her photos and you’ll see what I mean. Is that Kirsten with Dick Van Dyke?! There she is at Comic Con, having a blast. And she owns the most charming little store! Her life is pretty good now, but it hasn’t always been…
Read MoreObsessing About AIDS: David Adam
This Tuesday we’re hearing from David Adam, author of The Man Who Couldn’t Stop, 2015 recipient of the International OCD Foundation’s Illumination Award, and 2016 OCD Conference keynote speaker. I’ve had several different themes of obsessions, and many people I know who have OCD do, too. David struggled with just one, a fear that he’d contract…
Read MoreHost of The OCD Stories: Stuart Ralph
I’ve recently gotten into podcasts (did you know they’ve been a thing for, like, years now?), so I was happy to come across the aptly titled The OCD Stories, a well-done, inspirational podcast and website run by the fellow I’m hosting today: Stuart Ralph. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Stu in person, but…
Read MoreCreator of nOCD: Stephen Smith
One of the best things about being an advocate for OCD awareness is connecting with other people who have OCD and hearing their stories, especially when they’ve decided to turn their pain into something positive by helping others. In this Q&A, I get to learn about something I know very little about: The invention of an app! It was…
Read MoreVlogging About OCD: Kat Hashway
Welcome to Tuesday Q&A, dear readers! Last month at the OCD Conference in Chicago, I ran into a family from my home state, a mother and her daughter who has OCD. As her mom and I chatted, this 9-year-old girl grew antsy—her mom gave me a look and said, “She saw a YouTube vlogger earlier,…
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Alison Dotson 