Plague of Tics analysis essay

Like stated in “A Plague of Tics” by David Sedaris, “A person had to do these things because nothing was worse than the anguish of not doing them.” A “normal” individual might argue, “Why not just stop focusing on that and stay positive instead?” To a “normal” individual that might seem realistic but it’s not so for someone like me. We all experience an innumerable amount of thoughts throughout the day, but the issue arises when one thought becomes recurring and more and more prominent in your thoughts. In a combination of anxious thoughts and my OCD, I can find myself entertaining the same thought for hours on end. This fixation on my anxious worries is what often at times causes me to choose stressing over sleeping. I’ve found myself thinking about one thing at 10pm and have that thought carry over until 4am when I can finally convince myself it’s just an unrealistic worry. What was that thought? It was whether I had bubbled my ID number in correctly on my scantron. Looking back I know that it’s ridiculous because I always check my scantron multiple times before I hand it in just to make sure I didn't make a mistake. Even after checking my scantron five times I still feel the urge to check again so I have to force myself to hand it in and trust myself. In the moment these things don't seem irrational. The over-focusing on thoughts and the rechecking of things seem like logical conclusions just to make sure I didn’t mess up. I mean everyone makes mistakes right? It’s sometimes hard to draw the line where it becomes obsessive. Like in the essay, I too find myself succumbing to my OCD because ignoring it would cause even more distress than I already am

Many people go through struggles in life but will not ask for help or look for help or talk to someone that can help. I know that there are sometimes us human struggle through the worst in life. In everyone’s life there has been a personal struggle that had to face and that also have formed their personality. I personally have faced one of the worst struggles in my life a year ago. I have faced one of the worst depression ever; I felt lonely, helpless, trapped. The story I read about “A Plague Of Tics” by David,Sedaris face some struggles during his childhood. David Sedaris struggle with OCD when he was a child. He had a mental disorder where he felt the need to have to touch and do things repeatedly. Sedaris and I had a similar struggle cause we both felt helpless at one point and trapped. In Sedaris childhood everyone he knew would tease him for the things he did. The struggle I faced was that I did not want to be here present anymore; I was at the point to end my life.

In this book, one boy spends six hours a day washing himself- he suffers from the fact that he will never be clean. This woman continuously checks her stove hundreds of times a day to make sure she turned it off. Another woman in the effort to make sure that her eye brows are even she was eventually pulls out all her hair. There are other characters such as Paul, Arnie, and Morris. These people suffer from a common sickness called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This book is basically a go to guide to finding treatments, as well as lists of resources and references to treating OCD. This book brings the disorder to public attention, describing its symptoms and suggesting routes toward treatment. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder that’s caused by thoughts that also causes fear and or worry. By repeating the compulsion it causes the persons fear to lesson. In my opinion I feel as if this book is a great book it gives you true life

The protagonist in the film As Good As It Gets, Melvin Udall is a successful romantic novelist who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. From the onset of the film, Melvin displays ritualistic behavior that aligns with the diagnostic criteria for OCD, specifically the presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both. This paper focuses on Melvin’s particular psychopathology, analyzing the character’s current symptoms and diagnoses, the etiology of the disorder, and the key elements of his treatment.

In "A Plague of Tics," David Sedaris's describes his life from childhood to adulthood. He suffers from OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder). Sedaris writes, "If I were to lose count of my steps, I'd have to return to school and begin again" (360). This showcases the extreme case of Sedaris's OCD; that if he does not make his route absolutely perfect, he won't be able to find peace. His compulsive routine as a young child included his unsettling "tics", which he had little to no control over. "It never fails to amaze me that people might notice these things. Because my actions were so intensely private, I had always assumed they were somewhat invisible" (Sedaris 362). Ironically, Sedaris refers to his "tics" as actions that were private

This essay will introduce some similarities and differences between both symptoms and experiences of six different authors who have been personally affected by obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  Since OCD is not very well understood by many members of the public ("Escape"), I hope that the experiences of the authors that I researched will be able to paint a vivid picture of what life with OCD is like.

Everything that I had felt in the past year summarized by three words, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD. The psychiatrist seemed unperturbed as she told me, as though this was common. It felt comforting originally, knowing that I wasn’t the only one who’s felt this way, but that feeling swiftly turned into despondency. Those three letters have become my identity, I am no longer Emma. On many occasions, I have met people who lack understanding when it comes to this disorder. Their faces burned into my memory as they speak, “Oh, Emma, that’s no big deal! I’m a little OCD too,” or “Emma, everyone has a touch of OCD,” or “I totally relate, I’m so OCD about my school supplies, I like it when my folders are in rainbow order.” Each time the word used incorrectly, the more normalized it becomes and the less help I receive. This is because if everyone has a “touch of OCD,” then why is it so crucial for me to be assisted? Why should I have to remain isolated in guidance when it happens to everyone? OCD has been portrayed by the media in a way that is incredibly inaccurate and

According to psych central website’s article, OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and disturbing thoughts (called obsessions) and/or repetitive, ritualized behaviors that the person feels driven to perform (called compulsions).

The following is an overview about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), one of the most difficult psychiatric illness to be understood. The way of doing certain behaviors, thoughts or routines repeatedly is the essential condition of a person with OCD. In general, it is known and described by someone who is extremely perfectionist and meticulous. Unfortunately, they do realize those habits and be able to stop doing it. Common behaviors are such as checking locks, doors, stove bottoms, and lights, hand washing, counting things, or having recurrent intrusive thoughts of hurting oneself or somebody else.

Nancy Mairs and David Sedaris both live hard lives with two very different disabilities. They each share a story about their disease and although it is within the same topic, their stories are very different. These differences will be noticed in the writing style, the use of humor, society’s perception and their transformation as individuals. On Being a Cripple Nancy is a loving mother and friend suffering from Multiple Sclerosis.

David Sedaris has an excerpt called The Plague of Tics from his book Naked detailing the obsessive compulsive behaviors that riddled his childhood & remained consistent into adulthood. Sedaris actively uses satire & humor throughout his text in order to weave a pleasant story for his audience despite the abnormal behavioral tics that he couldn't overcome for a great majority of his life. Sedaris uses this humor as a base to formulate his story & this humor ultimately helps him convey his purpose to his audiences. The purpose of this excerpt is to show obsessive compulsive behaviors in a light that a reader can comprehend while also bringing awareness to just what exactly goes on in the minds of people with obsessive compulsive behaviors. Sedaris

"OCD patients have a pattern of distressing and senseless thoughts or ideas- obsessions- that repeatedly well up in their minds. To quell the distressing thoughts, specific patterns of odd behaviors- compulsions- develop." (Gee & Telew, 1999)

I have always been fascinated with behavioral disorders, especially OCD. I learned about OCD a few years ago when I was reading a medical journal. At first, it seemed like something very odd. The idea that otherwise normal people can do such strange things, and not be able to control themselves was fascinating. I wanted to know more about this topic, which is why I chose to write my paper on it. I thought that by knowing more about the subject, I will be able to better understand how these people’s lives can be literally taken over by their constant worries and anxiety. Also, I think a lot of people exhibit these behaviors and aren’t even aware that they may have a severe problem, and more importantly, that they can be getting help to

OCD is taboo to some people, but it has come a long way since it was first discovered. The disorder was first discovered by Jean-Etienne Dominique Esquirol in the psychiatric literature in 1838 (Fornaro, 2009). When obsessive compulsive disorder was first

This case study was particularly fascinating in following the life of Karen Rusa and her obsessive compulsion disorder. It is interesting to study her childhood, present life, on-set symptoms she was experiencing, and the treatment she underwent. Though Karen withstood various trials that her OCD and depression effected greatly, I believe she received the best treatment to help her recover.