Mental health

OCD DIARIES 12-30: The Break

by Bill Brenner December 30, 2009 Addiction

The author tries to take a break from writing, but chaos in the form of his two sons reminds him of another lesson worth sharing. Sean and Duncan have the audacity to fight over video games at this early hour, my usual writing window. Back before I found control over the OCD, this normal childhood behavior would send me over the edge. Fighting children equals chaos. People like me don’t do chaos well. I am,…  [Read More]

Insanity to Recovery in 8 Songs or less

by Bill Brenner December 29, 2009 Coping tools

The author shares some videos that together make a bitchin’ soundtrack for those who wrestle with mental illness and addiction. The first four cover the darkness. The next four cover the light. I’ve mentioned before that I’m a devoted fan of hard rock and metal music [See How Metal Saved Me]. I’ve found that the music helps me to release whatever negative thoughts I may have at the time. And so I thought I’d share…  [Read More]

Scaring the People in Your Life

by Bill Brenner December 28, 2009 Love

The author is hearing from a lot of old friends shocked to read about his past. Thing is, basket cases are good at hiding their craziness in public. To most of my family, the stories I tell in previous posts aren’t all that surprising. They were there. My in-laws may not have known everything that was going on back in the day, but they saw my quirks. Mood music: [spotify:track:78iMIaSjeVlUoNa7rehPOU] Even at work, my quirks…  [Read More]

Fear Factor

by Bill Brenner December 23, 2009 Children's issues

In this installment, the author describes years of living in a cell built by fear, how he broke free and why there’s no turning back. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” — Franklin Delano Roosevelt This morning I led a meeting of Over-eaters Anonymous, a task that included standing before a room of people for 30 minutes to tell my story of OCD, addiction and recovery. It was my third time…  [Read More]

OCD Has its Benefits

by Bill Brenner December 21, 2009 Mental disorders

I’ve joked to people before that having OCD isn’t all bad. One benefit is that it gives you extra drive to get things done. Most of the time that drive is spent on all the wrong things: checking the door eight times to make sure it’s locked, going bat-house crazy when something on your desk is knocked out of place (and I have a lot of stuff on my desk), and trying to make sense…  [Read More]

The Bridge Rats of Point of Pines, Revere

by Bill Brenner December 21, 2009 Lessons from the past

In this post, the author reviews the imperfections of childhood relationships in search of all his OCD triggers. Along the way, old bullies become friends. I used to blame childhood bullies and name-callers for all the things that led to an adulthood with OCD. I was bullied, you ask? You betcha. I was called a lot of names related to being fat. Some kids gave me the occasional beating. But I was no better than they…  [Read More]

The Freak and the Redhead: A Love Story

by Bill Brenner December 17, 2009 Love

I wasn’t looking for a soul mate when I met her. It was the summer of 1993 and I was doing just fine on my own. Mood music: I was in a band and we were busy pretending we were really something. This was long before I woke up one day, realized I really don’t know how to sing, and decided to spare the masses the agony of me trying to play vocalist. I was…  [Read More]

‘What the Hell Are You Doing, Now We’re Both in the Hole!”

by Bill Brenner December 9, 2009 Addiction

This West Wing clip pretty much sums up the purpose of this blog:

International OCD Foundation

by Bill Brenner December 9, 2009 Mental disorders

For those who struggle with OCD, there is an organization out there with a lot to offer called The International OCD Foundation. I’m almost ashamed to admit that I just found out about these guys. (Thanks to Stephanie Chelf for flagging it!) From the group’s website: “Founded by a group of people with OCD in 1986, the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) is an international not-for-profit organization made up of people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)…  [Read More]

The Most Uncool Addiction

by Bill Brenner December 8, 2009 Addiction

In this installment, the author opens up about the binge-eating disorder he tried to hide for years — and how he managed to bring it under control. I don’t beat myself for having engaged in addictive behavior. That kind of thing is obvious for someone with OCD. If there’s a compulsion to be rubbed raw, you go for it, no matter how destructive it is on body and soul. Then you wake up the next…  [Read More]

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