by Kaitlin Gentry In 2012, Denis Asselin walked over 500 miles — or roughly one million steps — from his home in Cheyney, PA, to Boston, MA, in memory of his son Nathaniel, who took his own life after a long struggle with severe body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and OCD. To carry on this tradition,… Read more »
IOCDF Announces 2021 Research Grant Awards
The International OCD Foundation is pleased to announce the 2021 Research Grant Awards. Seven exciting research projects were selected to receive a total of more than $800,000 in funding support thanks to the generosity of IOCDF donors. Our research grant program includes two categories: Innovator Awards Award recipients in this category are investigating the big… Read more »
What Pride means to me
by Alexandra Attending my first Pride parade in Atlanta, I didn’t know anything about its origins or why it’s so important. At the age of 17, just barely starting college and with a newly out gay best friend, I only knew that I was curious about the LBGTQIA+ community and was open to any new… Read more »
Barriers to OCD treatment for the LGBTQ community
by Chris Trondsen, AMFT Finding effective treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) can be difficult for many individuals, especially for those living in rural areas and in countries with few specialty providers. For members of the LGBTQ community, finding OCD treatment may be especially difficult due to the unique challenges they face. This treatment gap… Read more »
2021 IOCDF Virtual Research Symposium
For Researchers, Students, and Trainees On Thursday, July 8th, the International OCD Foundation will host its sixth annual IOCDF Research Symposium virtually over Zoom. The event will provide an exclusive forum for high-level presentations and scientific discussion on OCD and related disorders research. We’re excited to announce the 2021 Symposium program, which includes three blocks… Read more »
A life underrepresented, so I’ll be loud: Being asexual with OCD
by “Mindful” Meggie Tran, she/they As I entered the beloved San Francisco-based grocery store chain, Bi-Rite, I took in the many colors coating the interior. Over the produce section, a transgender flag and twisty rainbow streamers proudly hung over. Signs posted around the store reminded its patrons that all identities were welcome and safe in… Read more »
Bisexuality & Sexual Orientation OCD: Double Invalidation
This post was originally published at CBTSchool.com on April 5, 2021. by Elle Warren In 7th grade, close to a decade before knowing OCD was anything besides a preference for cleanliness and organization, I was sitting on the sidelines of the gymnasium for cheerleading practice. I watched my teammates jump and stunt and tumble, awaiting… Read more »
Public policy corner: Summer 2021
Originally published in the Summer 2021 edition of the OCD Newsletter. Greetings! During the first half of 2021, as Congress entered a new session, legislators and staff were busy preparing new legislation for consideration and reintroducing bills that failed to pass in the previous session. Here at the IOCDF, we have been watching this process… Read more »
One closet at a time
by Abby Rotstein I have a bit of experience coming out of closets. First, I told everyone I loved that I’m gay. Then, years later, I told those same people I have OCD. More recently, I disclosed that I have depression. I’m like a Russian nesting doll of closets. If I unearth anything more about… Read more »
A message for AAPI clinicians treating OCD and related disorders
How to best support yourself, your colleagues, and your clients in the current racial climate by Weilynn Chang As clinicians who treat obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRD), there are many things to manage in a therapy session. Internally, we are managing the usual clinical space: making sure we are attending to our client’s needs and… Read more »