As if struggling with one mental illness isn’t enough, it is common for individuals to be struggling with several disorders at once. Alongside my OCD, I struggle with a little known disorder known as Dermatillomania. Dermatillomania is a skin picking disorder, where the sufferer repeatedly picks at their skin, often leaving visible marks and scars. … More Co-morbidity in OCD: Dermatillomania
I recently became aware of a really useful podcast for OCD sufferers published by the Mental Health Foundation, and I definitely recommend giving it a listen (the link can be found at the bottom of this post). At 18.33 minutes long, it can be listened to on the daily commute, on your lunch break or … More A Useful Podcast for OCD sufferers
Doing a PhD is a highly stimulating and intellectually challenging experience, one which I feel an immense amount of privilege to be doing. But doing such a research intensive degree can be incredibly isolating. It is so easy to become so focused on your research that you lose sight of the fact that there’s a … More Managing PhD isolation
Working at a corporate event was the last place I expected to find out about mental health support services in Bristol. However, the chosen charity of the attendees was ‘Off the Record’, which supports 11-25 year olds with mental health problems. It also campaigns to raise awareness about mental health rights and to reduce the … More ‘Off the Record’: An unsung hero
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a highly varied and personal disorder, which affects different people in very different ways. For me, it is also something that I have found to have evolved and changed over time. The excessive hand-washing of my teenage self has given way to struggles with more study based activities like reading books … More How OCD affects my PhD
Like many others struggling with OCD, I take medication to manage the disorder. I am on Sertraline, also known as a ‘Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor’. This means that if I suddenly stop taking the medication, I will get something called Serotonin withdrawal which by all accounts can be pretty nasty. That is why, when coming … More What to do when you forget to pack your medication
OCD, the PhD and Me 