Blogs

Beyond the Doubt

An inside perspective on life with OCD and the lessons of uncertainty.
by Jeff Bell
Jeff Bell is the author of When In Doubt, Make Belief and a spokesman for the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation. See full bio

Beyond the Doubt

February 4, 2010

Pssst...OCD is NOT an Adjective

Dear Readers Without OCD, We in the OCD community have a gentle reminder we'd like to pass along, ever so respectfully: "OCD" is not an adjective; and more to the point, it is not a synonym for fastidious or anal-retentive. Please read on to learn why we worry about (though try not to obsess over) this growing confusion, and why we're compelled (though not compulsively driven) to attempt to set the record straight... Read More

December 2, 2009

Choosing Greater Good

I'm feeling exceptionally motivated at this moment, exhausted from a long day, anxious about having to come up with just the right words to convey what I hope to here, and yet ready to stay up all night at my computer if necessary to share with you a simple but profound motivation technique--the very same one that has me typing these words right now. I call this technique the Greater Good Perspective Shift, and I think it can change your life. It did mine. Read More

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

Subscribe to Beyond the Doubt

Books by Jeff Bell

Image of When in Doubt, Make Belief: An OCD-Inspired Approach to Living with Uncertainty
When in Doubt, Make Belief: An OCD-Inspired Approach to Living with Uncertainty
Image of Rewind, Replay, Repeat: A Memoir of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Rewind, Replay, Repeat: A Memoir of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Anxiety Basics

Anxiety

From normal butterflies-in-the-stomach to clinically diagnosable conditions such as Panic Disorder, anxiety motivates some people but paralyzes others.

Go to the Anxiety Basics page for more on Anxiety including:
  • Treatment
  • Origins
  • Disorders
  • Everyday Jitters
Go to Anxiety Basics

Current Issue

Heartbreak and Home Runs: The Power of First Experiences

How early life experiences shape our character.