Living With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

In this episode we turn the tables so to speak and let Julie ask the questions while Andy is the one answering them. The hope for this episode is that we can give some insight into the thoughts and struggles of the "co-sufferer" living with someone who has OCD. This person may be a spouse, a partner, a parent or even a child or friend. Whatever the relationship it is important to view things from their perspective as they are also having to adjust to life in different ways when sharing that life with someone with OCD. We start with the topic of dating and marriage and discuss how that has affected Julie and Andy's life from when they first met to after they got married. The topic of the future and family is also included in this episode. Are there worries that Andy has about Julie's future or about children and how that will affect her OCD? This episode looks at OCD from a very different perspective-a very important perspective.

This episode of our podcast deals with everything having to do with sleep. We discuss three basic areas of sleep where Julie has difficulties. The first topic is that of general sleep disturbances and routines related to Julie's OCD. We talk about Julie's night time routines that must be accomplished in order to go to bed. The second is that of "Night Terrors" and what link, if any, this has to anxiety disorders and OCD in particular. We talk about what the difference is between a night terror and a nightmare. The last topic is that of a strange phenomenon known as "sleep paralysis" and what happens when Julie is affected by this. We discuss whether or not it has to do with OCD or whether it is simply a separate and individual occurrence. To close the episode we get an overall view of how the issue of OCD relates to Julie's overactive brain and her nightly occurrences of vivid and often disturbing dreams. Sleep is yet another aspect of Julie's life that is severely impacted by OCD as you will hear in this epi

In this episode we continue the conversation with Julie about her OCD and specifically her fear of "dirt" and germs. We discuss what it is like for Julie to travel and to stay in hotels and how these events send her OCD into overdrive. Traveling and hotel bring about anxiety for Julie and along with that, the highest level of obsessions and compulsions to the point where she is severely impeded in going about her daily routine. The subject of organization and neatness in all other areas of Julie's life is also covered and a humorous conversation is had about the the Burnfield's house and how "clean" means one thing to Julie while it means something completely different to the rest of the world. Julie's standards and rules of cleanliness are also covered in this episode in relation to her levels of overall anxiety.

In this episode we get into the specifics of some of the daily struggles Julie faces living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. We discuss Julie's germaphobia and how this affects her daily habits. This conversation is filled with laughter and humor because we get into the nitty-gritty details of Julie's bathroom routine! Warning: some of this material may get a little too specific for some people but in order to gain a real glimpse into the habits of a person with OCD we delve right into the subject in all it's glory!! Julie details her struggles with "levels of cleanliness" also in relation to the difference between public restrooms, other people's houses and her own house. This is a candid look at how OCD severely delays Julie's daily schedule and how Andy reacts to his wife's issues with germs.

This is the episode where we finally get back to the Nature versus nurture topic that was the reason for hearing all of Julie's back story. We discuss whether Julie believes her OCD is a result of her genes (nature), whether it is a result of her environment (nurture), or whether it is some combination of the two. We talk about factors that contribute to the development of OCD and whether or not a person can "relearn" behaviors started in childhood and in essence "rework your own brain patterns and functioning." Julie also elaborates on how one child can differ from another child raised in the same home based on brain functioning and levels of serotonin. This episode is an interesting exploration of how a person with OCD attributes their disorder to not just one single factor but perhaps a combination of two factors. Nature vs. Nurture may be the topic that there is no definite answer to.

In this episode we finish up Julie's back story. We discuss engagement and how the stress of graduation, in-laws, family, and wedding planning all made for some interesting experienced for Julie. We wrap up with the first few years of marriage and how OCD created added tension and communication issues when we were first starting out as newly-weds. Listen as we both share our different remembrances of the events that shaped our relationship over the past decade and some ways we have learned to communicate and understand each other despite of and because of Julie's OCD. All-in-all its an entertaining show, there is even a bit of laughter towards the end.

In this episode we finish up Julie's back story. We discuss engagement and how the stress of graduation, in-laws, family, and wedding planning all made for some interesting experienced for Julie. We wrap up with the first few years of marriage and how OCD created added tension and communication issues when we were first starting out as newly-weds. Listen as we both share our different remembrances of the events that shaped our relationship over the past decade and some ways we have learned to communicate and understand each other despite of and because of Julie's OCD. All-in-all its an entertaining show, there is even a bit of laughter towards the end.

In this episode we continue talking about Julie's life story and delve into her college years and how having OCD affected not only her experience as a student and roommate but also how it effected her choice of a major to study. We discover that it was during these college years that Julie first began to really realize what OCD was and that it wasn't just a personality quirk or something that could be switched on and off at her will. We find out if this realization made things easier or harder for Julie. We also talk about how Julie was able to open up for the first time ever and actually talk to someone about her struggles.

In this episode, we continue the journey of exploring Julie's history. Julie will continue to tell her story, beginning with her sophomore year of high school spent in Texas. She will explain the changes and growth that shaped her in dealing with living within a different culture. Relive the hard times she went through trying to assimilate back into her old group of friends upon returning to Ireland the following year. Again much of this episode does not deal directly with obsessive compulsive disorder, but will give history and background to future conversations about Julie's disorder.

In this episode, we begin the journey of exploring Julie's history so that we can see where the origins of her obsessive compulsive disorder lie. Julie will tell her story, beginning with her earliest memories through the end of middle school. She will talk about adoption, school, friends, and most of all family. Reliving some good and bad memories, as she retells the events that shaped childhood. Much of this episode does not deal directly with OCD but instead paints a picture of Julie's past so that there is background for the discussions in future episodes. This was a difficult episode to record for many reasons. Some of the things discussed are painful and difficult to revisit.

In this episode we continue the explanation of what it is like to live as someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Julie further explains what is is like to have a mind that she "can n0t control." She offers some analogies and descriptions of what an "out of control" mind feels like. And how she deals with this coming off her current medication. Julie also describes, in greater detail, what types of thoughts she deals with and how disturbing OCD can be when "bad" thoughts get stuck in her mind. She describes how much of the thoughts and compulsions she has are uncontrollable and how acting on these compulsions not only does not help the OCD but makes it worse, creating a vicious cycle.

In this episode we begin to look at Julie's childhood. This show covers the following questions: When did you first become aware you had OCD? What was different about you as a young child as a result of this disorder? When you were younger did you realize something was different with the way your mind worked? When you think back, what do you see now that affected your childhood that you didn't understand to be the disorder at the time? How did your OCD affect your family? Did your parents understand what you were dealing with?

This is episode 1 of the podcast "Living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder". This is an interview and discussion between myself (Andy Burnfield) and my wife (Julie Burnfield) about the struggles of living with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). In this episode are introductions to Julie and I and a brief overview of what OCD is, how it affects Julie, and where we want the show to go in the future. The intention of this show is to offer a voice for all those struggling out there with this disorder so you will know you are not alone. We will attempt to share a small part of our struggles. So subscribe to the show, listen in, and hopefully we can share some hope through community.