Beyond the Doubt

An inside perspective on life with OCD and the lessons of uncertainty.

Jeff Bell is the author of When In Doubt, Make Belief and a spokesman for the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation. See full bio

October 29, 2009

The Uncertainty Paradox

I know a secret--a deeply profound, life-changing secret--one learned through the school of hard knocks in one of its most grueling courses. It is nothing short of the very key to living with uncertainty, this secret. Okay. Here goes: The secret to living with uncertainty is . . . Read More

September 11, 2009

Trapdoors in the Shadow of Doubt

Ever found yourself stuck in a state of uncertainty? It's a cold, dark place, this Shadow of Doubt, and getting out can be tricky. As those of us with OCD can attest to, there are some very alluring false exits all around you--trapdoors that only take you deeper into The Shadow. Read More

August 21, 2009

The Doubt Bully

If you ask me, it doesn't take a brain scientist to understand OCD.

Okay, technically speaking, it does; and even they--the top neuroscientists in the country--confess to being somewhat perplexed by the structural and functional anomalies of the OCD brain and the reasons for them. Issues with the caudate nucleus? Problems with serotonin reuptake? Lots of still-inconclusive theories floating around.

I, myself, don't even pretend to understand any of the brain science behind this disorder. I do, however, have an explanation for the obsessions and compulsions that have plagued me and millions of other people with OCD--an explanation to which any kid who's every spent time on a playground can relate.

I say, The source of my OCD is quite simply . . . The Doubt Bully. Read More

August 11, 2009

What If???

What if I misspell a word? What if I write something that proves harmful to someone? What if the germs on my fingers somehow make their way onto my keyboard, through cyberspace, and onto the keyboards of countless readers who then contract some deadly disease I might be carrying? These are just a few of the "what-if" questions a blogger with OCD might face while attempting to convey the complexities of life with, and treatment for, OCD. I know, because as I sit here at my computer writing this inaugural Beyond The Doubt post, I am contemplating a good many (but not all) of the above possibilities. Read More

Books by Jeff Bell

When in Doubt, Make Belief: An OCD-Inspired Approach to Living with Uncertainty

Rewind, Replay, Repeat: A Memoir of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

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