Author Description

Around one in every 100 Australians will experience Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) at some point in their life - overwhelming obsessive thoughts that must be relieved by the enactment of compulsions. These can take up hours of a person's day and fill them with shame and anxiety. OCD affects people of all ages, but usually starts in childhood, and can be a debilitating impediment to everyday functioning. This anthology features five long-form personal stories from people who have been diagnosed and come to terms with living with OCD. Contributors are Martin Ingle on OCD and sexual intimacy; Patrick Marlborough on living with OCD in NYC; Dani Leever on contamination-based OCD; Katharine Pollock on over-achievement and control of food and body; and Sienna Rose Scully on the death of her mother when she was fifteen, an event that actualised her most persistent OCD obsession.