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Obsessions, Compulsions and Optimism : Our Book

(19 posts) (10 voices)
  • Started 1 year ago by
  • Latest reply from SPARKLE
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    Unregistered

    Our book.

    I am delighted to let you know that I have now received almost all the written entries for our book on OCD by sufferers of OCD and am now busily analysing the survey. So I still hope to meet my deadline of the end of March 2011. I regret to say that the closing date for ALL written entries is 10th January 2011.

    The title is ‘Obsessions, Compulsions and Optimism.’ All the written entries and illustrations/paintings/photographs have been provided by OCDers and /or their carers - the majority of whom are forum members. The standard is incredibly high and so our book will show just how talented we OCDers are and, therefore, why treatment for OCD should be prioritised by governments. It is a scandal that so many of us are having to fund or part fund our treatment out of benefits, pensions and small wages due to lack of resources and trained therapists.

    The survey has indicated that with the provision of effective treatment (carried out by therapists with good CBT/ERP/talk therapy training and other alternative skills), many OCDers can get a fairly good degree of control. Furthermore, provided we receive follow up treatment and help in the form of self-help groups, forums and good books we can often maintain this control. It has also shown that meds (SSRIs) can have an important part to play in relieving symptoms, but are far more effective when prescribed in combination with treatment from therapists. Finally, what is most clear is that one size does not fit all. As such we all need to find the tools that work best for us both for gaining and maintaining control. The book will provide a big section on coping skills as well as one on the different therapies and treatment centres which have helped us and why they have been so helpful.

    I am hoping to get a mainstream publisher so as to maximise sales. I do hope that you will buy this book and recommend it to other sufferers. All the proceeds are going to be donated to OCD Action and other OCD charities.

    I won’t have time to post on the forum anymore, but I am still answering my emails and running the project page on FB. So please do write when you can. I am so hoping that, sometime in the near future, OCDers will not feel that they have to hide their condition. There may be only 3% of us OCDers in the world, but this is a condition like any other and we should not be ashamed to admit we have it.

    Thanks for all your help and I wish you a peaceful and happy Xmas and New Year.
    Anne x

    Tue Nov 30 2010 11:55:15 #
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    Unregistered

    Sounds great! It's not too late for me to send you the drawing you asked for is it? I'm sorry it's taken too long but I'm snowed under (in more ways than one!) with stuff at the moment and I've had to prioritise.

    Tue Nov 30 2010 12:19:16 #
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    Unregistered

    I'll email you, sorry, since you said you wont be posting anymore!

    Tue Nov 30 2010 12:19:47 #
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    Unregistered

    Cool!! I love the title and you know I will DEFINATELY buy it!!

    Tue Nov 30 2010 12:41:01 #
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    Nimrod
    Key Master

    Hi Anne,

    I know I've said something similar before, but the occasional update of how the work is going is always welcome, informative and keeps the project alive for forum members. But in addition to that the campaigners at OCD Action, including me, often point people who we think can help our cause to various threads on the forum to make a point and to show how ODC affects people and how motivated sufferers are and what they are doing about it (it is a public forum and anyone can see it). Even though they can't see the book yet and obviously we can't quote from it, to know the effort people put in strengthens our case, so the occaisional, say weekly or fortnightly posting on progress and any snippets you may like to include will be of value. I know it is a bit extra work for you but if you could spare a few minutes from time to time I believe it would be most helpful and very much appreciated.

    Best wishes,
    Caps

    Tue Nov 30 2010 21:16:54 #
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    playthoseblues
    Member

    Where do we pre-order??

    I'll get the poem in VERY soon Anne!

    If you read this, I've PM'd you..

    Good Luck

    Jon!

    Tue Nov 30 2010 22:32:55 #
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    Unregistered

    Idk if we can pre-order it just yet as it's not finished yet, Anne's still working on it.

    Wed Dec 1 2010 0:16:43 #
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    Parvez Choudhry
    Member

    Hi Anne
    I'm very pleased to hear the book is coming along so well. It sounds as if it will be enormously useful to many people, especially since there isn't any other book on the market that approaches the subject of OCD from this angle.

    You wrote:

    The standard is incredibly high and so our book will show just how talented we OCDers are and, therefore, why treatment for OCD should be prioritised by governments.

    I was just wondering whether you really meant that quite the way you expressed it? I would say many people with OCD are very talented and I think it is important to showcase their talent in your book so that people with no experience of OCD can see that we OCDers are not mentally deficient or sub-normal or retarded, and so there is no need to treat us like imbeciles or idiots. Mentally we are just like anyone else (except that some ordinary functions of our minds work overtime). But I think the reason the government should spend money on helping us people with OCD is not because of our talent but simply because we are valuable human beings and are suffering horribly and our quality of life can usually be improved significantly if we get the right treatment. I think a person's worth does not depend on his/her talent but on the sheer fact of being a human being. All people with OCD, even those who are frankly not talented or good looking or intelligent or creative or successful in any sphere of life, still deserve good medical treatment merely because we are people with normal needs, desires, hopes, dreams, and longings. That's just my 2 cents, Anne. No offence intended, tell me to shut up if you think I'm wrong.

    Anyway, I wish you a very serene and pleasant Xmas, and every success with getting the book finished. All power to your elbow!
    Warm regards,
    Parvez

    Thu Dec 2 2010 13:06:54 #
  9. Avatar Image


    Unregistered

    Hi Parvez

    I totally agree with you. We deserve free treatment regardless of our skills and talents. The matter of our talents and qualification will not be mentioned in the book. In fact I deliberately left such matters out of the questionnaire for this reason.

    But having said this, the subject of OCD and different talents is of huge interest and importance to many OCDers especially those who have been ill since childhood and have lost out on schooling, hobbies, jobs, promotion etc due to lack of targetted treatment. Many of the best selling books have sections on talented OCDers and these sections help to take away the stigma which we suffer.

    The main reason why I brought this up is that, sadly, cost effectiveness, seems to be one of the government's main criteria when prioritising NHS treatment. If it were not, we would all get the funding we need for treatment. The same was so of private health insurance in the 1980s. I was told it would not cover treatment for OCD because of the huge cost involved - so there was no point in me taking out a policy.

    I have copied this from a paper by Layard. As you can see he is arguing for treatment on the ground of benefit costs.

    '... At present it is simply impossible for GPs to implement the NICE guidelines because the therapists are not available. Thus specialist help is denied for mentally ill people, where it would automatically be supplied for equally disabling cases of physical illness. If the NICE guidelines were implemented, many more people would receive help and massive suffering would be avoided. And the cost of implementing the guidelines would be largely offset by savings to the government on Incapacity Benefits.'

    Hope this clears up any misunderstanding.

    Anne
    x

    Thu Dec 2 2010 15:00:52 #
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    Unregistered

    Hi again

    I forgot to say that the Layard piece was referring to other serious conditions such as bipolar and schizophrenia rather than to OCD. But, cost effectiveness does seem to apply to OCD, as those who are trying to get funding have sadly found.

    It certainly applied when I went to the Bethlem even though the funding procedure was not so complicated. I remember my nurse saying that my treatment was very cost effective because I did not require any more NHS treatment after my discharge. Learning new skills, education and hobbies was part of this process.
    Anne
    xx

    Thu Dec 2 2010 15:16:57 #
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    Parvez Choudhry
    Member

    Nice to speak to you again, Anne. Thanks for the clarification. Yes, I can see how important it is for OCDers who missed out on formal education to still be able to fulfil their potential by developing their latent talents via other means. And showcasing the fruits of their talent is a great way to change the public's misconceptions about OCD.

    It is regrettable that the government has to prioritise treatment according to cost-effectiveness and not according to what each individual needs. I understand this is necessary since there isn't enough money to go round, but the downside is that people end up getting assessed according to their value for money, like haggling over the price of beef in a cattle market, whereas of course a demented, bed-ridden geriatric should be treated with as much dignity and care as a healthy newborn baby.

    I just brought this point up because I didn't want anyone with OCD to conclude that they aren't important and don't deserve expensive therapy merely because they don't have any artistic skills and don't feel able to contribute to society.

    Cordially,
    Parvez

    Thu Dec 2 2010 16:41:23 #
  12. Avatar Image


    Unregistered

    Hi all

    Our book will make it clear how serious OCD is and why we all need free and targetted treatment wherever we live in the world.

    It will do this in several ways. Firstly, it will provide some case histories featuring some of the more prevalent subtypes. The aim will be to show OCDers that they are not alone. Secondly it will show how trauma and some of the other subjects brought up in the questionnaire such as over-responsibility, poor relationships, and the need for perfectionism, impacts on our OCD. Then it will go on to cases where OCDers have been let down by the system in
    specific ways. The negative part will end with a section of self harm and suicide.

    The positive side will show what treatments work and why, and will contain a few success stories. It will end with a section on coping strategies.

    Having read and edited all the contributions, I feel sure that the book will help many OCDers and their carers. I am also hoping that therapists and government ministers will buy it so that our viewpoint can and will be taken into consideration in future.

    Very best wishes

    Anne

    Thu Dec 2 2010 17:11:07 #
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    Unregistered

    Great. I'm really looking forward to it!

    There are heaps of times where I've felt like ending my life because of the OCD.... Luckily I'm over that stage now and I'm a lot better than I was last year!

    Thu Dec 2 2010 22:05:49 #
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    aronralstonismyhero
    Member

    I will be queing up to buy it. A copy for me, and one for my friends and family for their birthday. . . that is one way to promote awareness

    Thu Jan 20 2011 23:47:28 #
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    swan
    Member

    Hi,
    At the risk of offending people as Ann left the forum once she obtained the information she required ( as I perceive it) is this really our book. Just over the years I have seen people come on the forum and leave and from the threads they have written ect, it seems that they joined to obtain information from people with OCD for reasearch purposes. I do realise that Anne and others have put a lot of work into the book, but the sense of it being our book seems to have gone. In addition my main concern is that anything that I may have written on a htread will be included.

    Fri Feb 11 2011 6:59:12 #
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    Nimrod
    Key Master

    I fully understand your views on this matter and it is correct to say that some people join the forum simply to obtain infomation or to do research for their own purposes, however I don't believe this is the case with Anne. If I recall correctly Anne did post to say that she was leaving the forum in order to concentrate on the book. I have been in contact with Anne and can say that there are very real and valid reasons why work has been delayed. I cannot say more than that as everything between OCD Action and our forum members is strictly confidential. I will keep the forum informed of any updates I get in respect of progress with the book.

    If any forum members have concerns on this matter please PM (private message) me.

    Caps

    Fri Feb 11 2011 9:54:10 #
  17. Avatar Image


    Unregistered

    Good evening everyone and a very belated happy new year.

    As Caps said the book has been delayed due to extreme circumstances. My husband was seriously ill and in hospital all over Xmas and the new year and it was extremely worrying for us all.

    He is now recovering well thank goodness - many thanks for the prayers from forum friends. I asked them not to pass this on - which is why some of you are not aware of why I have been so quiet.

    I re-started the book last week and hope to be finished by the end of June.

    This is our book - many many fourm members have contributed and a large percentage of the proceeds will go to OCD Action.

    I won't be posting much as I have a huge amount of work to do. I also have a very unwell husband to keep an eye on. but I will keep you updated.

    Very best wishes
    Anne

    Sun Feb 13 2011 23:26:29 #
  18. Avatar Image


    Unregistered

    Hi all

    I just wanted to cover the points asked which I did not answer on Sunday.

    First, the only material I will be using from this forum is postings I have made myself (including snippets from the survey,) and a few poems which contributors have asked me to put in the book. I will say in the book that they first appeared on this forum.

    Second, contributors will retain copywrite of the pieces (stories, poems, book reviews etc) which they have written for the book. This way they will be able to use them if they wish to write their own autobiographies or poetry books.

    I hope this answers all your queries, but please PM me if you have any worries. I am hoping that the book will make money for OCD charities so there is always somewhere to come for help when we OCDers are at our wits end.

    I joined the forum in 2009 because I was desperate for help and I am so grateful for the help I received. When you are at rock bottom it is wonderful to have a helping hand from those who really understand.

    Very best wishes
    Anne

    Tue Feb 15 2011 11:13:14 #
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    SPARKLE
    Member

    this book sounds a good idea, i definitely want to get it. x

    Thu Mar 17 2011 20:17:22 #

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