Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA

Whose Brain Is this Anyway?

by Ashley Fisher

May 20, 2021

Ashley's story..."My life experience with anxiety and OCD has gifted me with so much empathy for other people. I know that many people walk around with invisible wounds and demons. The people who we think have it all together fight their own battles behind closed doors..."

A Journey of Faith, Hope and Love

by Maura Crowley

May 14, 2021

I felt ashamed and alone. The anxiety was like a dark shadow that followed me everywhere. I isolated myself from everyone.

The Many Masks of OCD

Eda Gorbis, PhD, LMFT

Sunday, March 7, 2021 - 11:51

ADAA Member Eda Gorbis, PhD, LMFT shares information about the various forms of OCD and the best treatment options.

Why I Wrote a Solo Musical to Keep My OCD in Check

by Jordan Friend

February 22, 2021

Many of us involved in the arts maintain a complicated tango with our mental health. For someone like me, a theatre director, actor and songwriter with lifelong OCD and anxiety, an overactive imagination has been a source of both severe difficulties and some of my most creative work. The same impulse that makes me need to touch everything three times is the one that, when I’m staging a show, makes me meticulous about finding the perfect image.

Exposure and Response Prevention for “What If” Thinking in Disorders Other Than OCD

David Raush, PhD

Saturday, February 6, 2021 - 19:34

"What if” thinking is not unique to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It is a feature to a greater or lesser extent in several other conditions. Using what we know about Exposure and Response Prevention (E/RP) for OCD might improve treatment for these other conditions.[i]

You Can Talk With Me About Mental Illness

by Rebecca Rose

December 10, 2020

At 31 years old, when my therapist told me that I had OCD, I thought, Ah, I get it now. This is what it feels like to have a breakthrough in therapy.

Exposures: What to Do if Your Clients are Doing Exposures as a Compulsion

Patricia E. Zurita Ona, PsyD

Thursday, October 22, 2020 - 16:26

Anya, a 26-year-old, was in charge of organizing the schedule for the annual camping trip with her college classmates. She was excited and ready to make phone calls and gather prices for transportation, camping sites, etc.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder and the Impact of COVID-19 and Quarantine

Eda Gorbis, PhD, LMFT

Friday, June 19, 2020 - 15:05

Body Dysphoric Disorder (BDD) is described as the disease of “self- perceived ugliness” or “self-imagined ugliness.” It is also seen as a distressing preoccupation with one or more physical non-existence “defects.” In the DSM-5, BDD is classified under Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders.

My OCD Story

by Sam Wickey

May 7, 2020

Growing up as a terrified Amish child was extremely difficult because I could not speak to anyone about my fears, nightmares, and personal illusions that were perceived as reality. My family did not believe in any form of expression or communication because we were in the strictest Amish sect. They did not even believe in hugging their children or saying I love you.

A Glimpse of What it Feels Like

by Rebecca Feinberg

April 3, 2020

“You have no idea what it feels like inside my brain,”
My child once said to me, as I was losing my patience and compassion
For what felt like the millionth time in his young life
That he asked me if I had washed my hands before touching something

And, he was right, as much as I tried, I (and others) could have had no idea what it feels like to live every single day

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