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Introduction

We’ve all heard someone say: “So and so is a little bit OCD.” It has become a careless remark we use when we perceive someone as being a perfectionist or overly meticulous about neatness or hygiene. But what is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? In this eBook, we asked people who suffer from the condition to describe its effect on their everyday lives.

Mella Travers, a fashion photographer and mother of two, describes it as “like a broken record, going around and around and around and around and around. It’s being hit by something continually.”

Simon Tierney, a radio researcher remembers his father saying, “Just give yourself a holiday from OCD.” But “unfortunately, you can’t flick a switch.”

Jacob Billsborough, a street artist and son of Mella, who also has OCD, says, “There are people who will look at you and simply think, Oh, just get over it.”

Eileen Morrison, a retired Hairdresser, rhythmically shakes out a towel while counting: “One, two, three, four. One, two. One.” She says, “I behave as if I’m a mental case. But I wouldn’t do this in front of people,” she explained.

This mental illness is widespread but the serious effects on people who suffer from it is rarely discussed openly. In this book, we’ll meet these people, and the support groups, clinicians, and loved ones that are helping them cope with this mysterious and debilitating condition.