All posts tagged: OCD

How Writing Horror Led Marcus Kliewer To an OCD Diagnosis

How Writing Horror Led Marcus Kliewer To an OCD Diagnosis

Published by Jenni Sidey

Marcus Kliewer is the bestselling author of the horror novel We Used to Live Here. His second book, The Caretaker, is out now from 12:01 Books. Below, he discusses how writing horror led to his OCD diagnosis. I rediscovered my love for writing horror in the middle of the pandemic. It was oddly comforting to find a type of misery I had control over, even if that control was simply typing words on a page. And thanks to CERB (Canada’s $2,000/month benefit to those who lost income during the pandemic), I was able to dedicate more time to writing than I ever had before. After a six-year hiatus, I returned to r/NoSleep, a subreddit dedicated to internet horror stories. In a time when the entire world felt exceptionally isolated and directionless, sharing my work with that community gave me much-needed connection and purpose.  I was several parts into a series with the unwieldy title The Man in my Basement Takes One Step Closer Every Week when I received a DM asking me if the story was …

Existential OCD — Or Is It?

Existential OCD — Or Is It?

Published by Jenni Sidey

Christina sparkles with enthusiasm for life. She is 27, working in a new job in a graphic design firm, which she loves. She loves her team. She loves the creativity that permeates the office, and she loves sparking and sharing ideas with those around her. She uses the word “love” a lot. But all is not well because not everyone on the team is as enthusiastic as she is, and she suspects some resent her and gossip about her. She is terrified of being excluded because it has happened to her before — being cut out of friendship groups. Gravely she tells me that she has had periods of severe depression — and long periods of therapy — since the age of nine. That was when children she thought were friends were horrid to her at school. She became a people pleaser, as she termed it, desperate for acceptance, and yet the same thing happened again when she was 15 and girls in her friendship group rejected her, seemingly overnight. This must have been truly …

Contributor: Noah Kahan shows how common, and harmful, a delayed OCD diagnosis is

Contributor: Noah Kahan shows how common, and harmful, a delayed OCD diagnosis is

Published by Sam Flores

Last week, Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Noah Kahan revealed that in 2025, while on a trip to Joshua Tree, he was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder at age 28. This debilitating condition affects an estimated 10 million people in the U.S. and 240 million globally, causing unwanted intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors. Although the disorder is common, it is severely underdiagnosed. “I started putting all these pieces together from my childhood, and these different rituals I’ve had my whole life. It wasn’t just anxiety or being stressed,” Kahan told Rolling Stone. “I didn’t realize how much of it has nothing to do with physical touch. A lot of it’s a mental obsession.” Kahan explained his thoughts made him think he was in danger, even if it wasn’t real. He said, “I could convince myself that I ran somebody over, knowing for a fact that I didn’t see another person on the road.” He described feelings of shame and fear after telling people about his “insidious” thoughts, worried he’d be judged. I’ve also experienced the disturbing …

What Happens When You Try to Treat OCD With Psilocybin

What Happens When You Try to Treat OCD With Psilocybin

Published by skeptic

Adam Strauss is standing in his New York City apartment, holding the limp cord of his headphones, trying to choose between the two MP3 players on his desk: the iPod and the iRiver, its Korean counterpart. He cues up the same song on each, toggling the silver plug of his headphones back and forth like a 1930s switchboard operator. He tries different songs, different genres, different instruments. The iRiver tends to sound better overall, but the iPod offers a little more nuance in the midrange. The iPod has a better battery life, but the iRiver still lasts eight hours—­longer than he’s ever continuously listened to music. Then again, he’s never owned an MP3 player. Is eight hours enough? He goes back and forth, back and forth, testing vocal ranges, button resistance, interface aesthetics. His internal monolog races like ticker tape. Do aesthetics even matter? It’s going to be in my pocket most of the day. I’ve never seen a line out the door for the iRiver, but people line up at the Apple Store to …

When Relationship Doubts Are a Sign of OCD

When Relationship Doubts Are a Sign of OCD

Published by Jenni Sidey

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by many themes and subtypes. Within the past decade, there has been growing acknowledgement and understanding of what is called relationship OCD, or ROCD for short. As with other forms of OCD, ROCD is characterized by intrusive, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (including mental) aimed at reducing distress that usually—and inadvertently—feeds into the obsessive cycle. While many people experience doubts about their romantic relationships, ROCD obsessions are particularly intense, troubling, and seemingly impossible to reason through. Subtypes of ROCD There are two subtypes of ROCD: Partner-focused or PF-ROCD: People with PF-ROCD are focused on their partner’s qualities. They obsess over whether their partner is the “right person” for them or whether they’re attracted to their partner. They may repetitively scrutinize their partner’s perceived attractiveness, intelligence, compatibility, and ability to get along. Relationship-centered or RCOCD: People with RCOCD focus more on the relationship itself. They obsess over whether they are in the “right relationship.” They want absolute certainty that the relationship will last—something that’s impossible to know for anyone. It’s …

‘This is so taboo’: Kimberley Nixon on the hell of perinatal OCD – and how she survived it | Books

‘This is so taboo’: Kimberley Nixon on the hell of perinatal OCD – and how she survived it | Books

Published by Sam Flores

Kimberley Nixon’s memoir, She Seems Fine to Me, is out on 7 May, and she’s quite terrified. This isn’t an author worried by sales figures or reviews. Nixon’s book is an up-close-and-personal account of perinatal OCD. It tells of the dark, disturbing thoughts that taunted and haunted her after the birth of her son: her racing mind, relentless rumination, the Technicolor horror stories that played inside her head, always centred on harms to her baby. The book holds nothing back. “Is it really brave or is it really stupid?” says Nixon. “In my head, I’ve written a book about what a horrible person I was and put it out in the world – and I have to keep reminding myself that’s not it. I’ve written a book about a mental health condition and trying to fight it.” Its publication coincides with maternal mental health awareness week. “The nature of this – the content, the detail – is so taboo. You don’t want to share it. You keep it hidden, and that made me worse and …

Anxiety or OCD? Psychology experts explain the difference

Anxiety or OCD? Psychology experts explain the difference

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Anxiety itself is not a mental illness. It’s a normal, adaptive emotion that helps us respond to perceived threats. Anxiety is the automatic reaction that makes you jump back when you think you’ve seen a snake while bushwalking – before realising it’s a stick. It’s also (inconveniently) the sweaty palms and shaky voice you notice before a presentation or a first date, or the circling thoughts that keep you awake at 3am. Most of us have ways to cope with anxious thoughts and feelings that can give us more of a sense of control. This could be checking and double-checking we’ve got the room right for our presentation, or seeking reassurance from someone we love. But when might these behaviours fit a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder? And when could they actually be a sign of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)? As …

People Who Never Let Food Touch On Their Plate Usually Share These 11 Distinct Traits

People Who Never Let Food Touch On Their Plate Usually Share These 11 Distinct Traits

Published by Jenni Sidey

People who never let food touch on their plate might seem like they simply have a quirky eating habit, but the behavior can actually say a lot about their personality. How a person arranges their food, whether by carefully separating items or keeping everything orderly, can reveal insights into their approach to other aspects of life. For some people, keeping their plate tidy isn’t just a matter of preference. It reflects a deeper tendency toward structure, order, and attention to detail. People who dislike food touching on their plate often bring that same mindset into their daily routines. They tend to plan ahead, notice small details others overlook, and prefer environments that feel organized and predictable. It’s not about being controlling or overly picky. Instead, it’s often a sign of people who like doing things thoughtfully and deliberately. Here are 11 distinct traits people who never let food touch on their plate tend to share. People who never let food touch on their plate usually share these 11 distinct traits: 1. They’re highly organized Pixel-Shot …

Just one dose of psilocybin relieves symptoms of OCD for months

Just one dose of psilocybin relieves symptoms of OCD for months

Published by skeptic

Magic mushrooms are one of the psychedelics showing real medical potential John Moore/Getty Images A single dose of psilocybin – the active ingredient in magic mushrooms – produces rapid reductions in symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), according to the first placebo-controlled trial to test the psychedelic for the mental health condition. The effects also seem to persist for at least 12 weeks, suggesting that psilocybin could provide lasting relief. “If we give you a trip, we think we can break the cycles of obsessive thinking and behaviour,” says David Nutt at Imperial College London, who wasn’t involved in the research. “The whole point of OCD therapy is about teaching people to behave differently. So, rather than check the lights 15 times, you check them twice.” About 1 to 3 per cent of people have OCD, a condition characterised by obsessive thoughts and compulsive habits, which can be overwhelming. Treatments tend to include talking therapies and antidepressants, but between 40 and 60 per cent of people with OCD don’t respond to them. Psilocybin – and other psychedelics …

Can Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Help With OCD?

Can Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Help With OCD?

Published by Jenni Sidey

OCD is an exhausting mental illness that is characterized by intrusive thoughts often followed by physical and/or mental compulsions. Some individuals who are struggling may rationally understand that their fears are illogical, yet feel completely controlled by them. Fighting and engaging with the intrusive thoughts often backfires. Exposure and response is largely seen as the gold standard when it comes to the treatment of OCD, however dropout rates can be real barriers when it comes to treatment. Enter acceptance and commitment therapy as a great adjunctive treatment for ERP. Acceptance and commitment therapy helps individuals with OCD change their relationship to their intrusive thoughts and anxiety. Rather than a focus on eliminating intrusive thoughts, acceptance and commitment therapy has a lens of changing our relationship to unhelpful thinking. One of the core treatment aims of acceptance and commitment therapy is psychological flexibility. Additionally, acceptance and commitment therapy focuses on cognitive defusion strategies (Assaz et al., 2023). Some cognitive defusion strategies include the following: Creating separation between yourself and the thought by telling yourself “I am …