Speech and the Future

[Guest guest]

I'll share with everyone's enthusiasm and delight with her

speech competition prize. She is always amazed (and a bit baffled) that

you all are so thrilled by her accomplishments. As a lifelong

perfectionist and overachiever, she tends not to understand what a big

deal these things are and always worries that they aren't good enough.

She genuinely enjoyed the competition and has found that she's much more

comfortable speaking in class now. So I think that it has " taken. "

She put the check into the CD she started when she began working at the

library, then went to Macy's and got a couple pairs of jeans with a

Christmas gift certificate. I love being able to tell her to just take

the car. Once she actually got her license, her driving made a quantum

leap and she's an excellent driver.

***

I've noticed that many of the new people on this list carry the same

fears and sense of desperation that ALL OF US have experienced. I think

it's important for everyone to realize that:

-- Medication can make it possible for E & RP to work more effectively, by

eliminating much of the underlying anxiety.

-- Using medication to help treat OCD does not represent a failure or

lack of responsibility. It is no different from using an inhaler to

treat asthma or insulin for diabetes.

-- E & RP and other forms of CBT can make enormous inroads on obsessive

and compulsive behaviors, particularly when started early.

-- Much of the past research and " expert " information -- even that

currently dispensed by mental health professionals -- is no longer

applicable because our understanding of OCD is changing so rapidly. For

instance, I recall reading (before I found this list) that the onset of

OCD usually came in the late teens or early twenties. The reality seems

to be that people with OCD are hard-wired differently and that, except

where PANDAS is a factor, may exhibit fairly benign symptoms for years

before a major onset, often triggered by puberty.

-- Medical research is moving so rapidly in so many different areas that

there may well be a magic bullet for this somewhere down the line.

-- It can really help to view all of life as a 12 step program and take

things one day at a time.

~Taffy in San Diego

[Guest guest]

Well said, Taffy. Louis should put that on our list as a FAQ

Jule