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OCD For Dummies

I think OCD is arguably the most interesting of all emotional disorders. But it’s also a little complicated. That’s why we enjoyed writing OCD For Dummies so much–so we could distill this complexity and help people really understand the problem as well as what to do about it. By the way, you can buy used copies from Amazon and save some bucks. We’d rather you get the help than collect a small royalty. CE

OCD Treatment Works!!

Many people with OCD believe that the problem can’t be treated. Perhaps it’s because they received some sort of treatment and it didn’t work for them. Well, it’s true, not all treatments work for OCD and not all mental health professionals have been trained in and provide the treatments known to work for OCD.

However, the treatments that work for OCD not only work, they work very well. The gold standard treatment is called Exposure and Response Prevention (it goes by various acronyms, but ERP, ExRP are the most common). ERP is very effective, sometimes so much so that medications can be avoided. Other times, you will want to combine ERP with medications and/or other types of therapy such as Cogitive Therapy that has been specifically designed for OCD. We discuss all of these treatments in detail in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder For Dummies.

But the bottom line is, if you have OCD, get treatment from someone with considerable training and expertise in the treatment of OCD. You’ll be glad you did. CE

Hi, hi, hi… OCD?

Have you ever called someone and heard a slightly odd greeting such as “hi, hi, hi?” Or “Hello, it’s a great, great, great day?” Or something else that isn’t terribly inappropriate, but seems repetitive and a little odd? It “could” be that the person greeting you has OCD. There’s a type of superstitious OCD that causes some people to feel a need to repeat certain phrases a specific number of times in certain circumstances. They feel if they don’t repeat these words or phrases that something “bad” may hapen to the person they’re talking to. Of course, you shouldn’t assume that such a phrase indicates OCD, but it is possible. OCD comes in an amazing array of types–so it’s easy to encounter someone with OCD and not realize that OCD is at work. We review all the common types of OCD in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder For Dummies. CE

For Dummies Part 2

People often ask us what it’s like to write books in the For Dummies series. The answer is that it’s pretty much like writing a book for any publisher. However, we do enjoy a couple of things about it. First, it’s great to write books about psychology that are designed for “real people” who don’t necessarily know the jargon that psychologists speak. Second, Wiley (publisher of the series) let’s us pretty much write what we want–including a lot of humor that we’re not sure all publishers would let in. So, we have to say it’s a pretty good gig. CE

Writing “For Dummies”

Sometimes people complain to Laura or myself that our self-help books have the title “For Dummies.” We try to correct what we view as a misconception whenever we can. “For Dummies” is a series (published by Wiley) that’s designed to present material to an intelligent audience who may not be completely familiar with the particular topic. It is definitely not meant to disparage the intelligence of anyone. We sincerely apologize to anyone who takes offense at those two words in the title. However, we think the publisher would never have sold as many of these books as they have if they were intending to belittle their readers. CE

Not so pitch perfect

Not making progress in your Mandarin grammar class? Having a harder time ordering your favorite ethnic dish? Well you’re not alone. Learning a new language clearly becomes more difficult for us as we grow older. Fortunately, new academic research is providing us with some evidence that it’s not entirely our fault. It’s no reason to give up, but at least we can start pointing some fingers at our Heschl’s Gyrus. Assuming you can find it…           

The recent study is showing that our ability to wrestle with new languages might be related to the size of an acute area in our brain’s temporal lobe known as the Heschl’s Gyrus, or (HG) if its all Greek to you. The HG is the first processing point for our audible world, and its size could determine your ability to distinguish between tones and pitches. Both are helpful when trying to master tonal languages like Croatian, Japanese, Swahili, Punjabi, and even French. Although, the scope of the study may be limited (17 participants) the lessons should be clear. If you have kids, get them engaged in learning a new language early on. This would involve encouraging them to practice outside of class as well. Because of our increasingly multi-cultured neighborhoods, there is ample opportunity for this, and trust us, they’ll thank you later. And if you yourself are thinking of learning a new language or just brushing up…well the sooner the better. There is plenty of value in extracurricular exercises for you too, and we encourage you to explore foreign music, television programs, and newspapers. This will help you with those tonal difficulties that plague us as our jaws and voices mature.                   

Essentially, the advice we give to new writers would be the same to you: don’t be afraid to mess up. And because we like to lead by example, you can be assured that we’re putting ourselves out there too; stuttering our way through Spanish classes. But in the end, we’ll enjoy being able to order those Huevos Rancheros again.  TW/LS/CE

Writing For Dummies

Some people have asked us what it’s like to write “For Dummies” books. The answer is that it’s not much different than writing for any other publisher. The For Dummies series is certainly not “dummy downed.” Rather, it is intended for an intelligent audience that is simply not expert in the particular subject matter of each book.

 Since the audience is assumed to be intelligent, but not highly proficient in the topic, the publisher asks authors to break material down into easily digested chunks. We like writing that way because we always want our writing to be accessible. In our writing workshops we talk about this issue in greater detail. Whether you write For Dummies or for just about any other audience, learning to connect with people in an understandable manner is an art form.–CE

Anxiety and writing

What is it about writing that causes such anxiety? Face your fears. Just write and the fear will become more managable. In preparing for the writing workshop we are presenting this fall, I have been spending time re-reading some of the classic and not so classic books on writing well. The advice seems to be quite consistent. The biggest challenge is to make a schedule and stick to it. That is what I did to get through grad school. I made a personal rule to write at least a paragraph a day. I’m using this blog as an exercise in discipline. Three blogs a week–even when I don’t have much to say. The anxiety is already decreasing! LS

Perfectionism and Writing

Nothing stops writing in its tracks faster than perfectionism. Perfectionists typically believe that they should produce beautiful prose that requires little revision on their first draft. But almost all publishable writing requires numerous revisions and extensive editing. We recommend that neophyte writers (especially those afflicted with perfectionism) consider writing with the goal of making as many mistakes and misstated thoughts as possible! They will evolve into proficient writers as they acquire the skills derived from re-writing and editing–over and over again.–CE

Writer’s Block

So fear creates writer’s block–the dreaded affliction that strikes most writers at one time or another. Sometimes writer’s block settles in for a long, unwelcome stay. One way to get through writer’s block is the obvious–start writing. And writing and writing and writing. The only way you’ll succeed at that task is by shutting down your internal editor.

One way to write is to start a blog. Sound intimidating? Then try commenting on other people’s blogs. Have you noticed that our postings are not literary masterpieces? We know that! We blog for the mere fun of it and to share a few of our thoughts. That’s the attitude that will get you through writer’s block. You can worry about writing a book or a magazine article later. Those goals will come much more easily if you just start making writing a regular habit. –CE