Plague of Tics analysis essay

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

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

On “A Plague of Tics” While traditionally keeping a light hearted and comical collection of essays in Naked David Sedaris takes a serious in turn in a “A Plague of Tics”. In is matter-of-fact essay, “A Plague of Tics”, uses personification and diction to demonstrate what it is like to live with mental illness which allows those who live a “normal” life to fully understand the impacts of living with mental illness. David Sedaris takes on the perspective of living with mental illness while being ridiculed by peers. “Take me off it whispered” (Sedaris 7). By including personification Sedaris is able to assert the lack of control the boy has over his tics creating the effect that the tics order him around and dictate his actions.

In “Plague of Tics,” author David Sedaris uses his point of view to develop his ethos as an “individual speaking from the margins or border” of society, a concept discussed by Nedra Reynolds. According to Reynolds, the ethos is derived from the “margins” of a group, as an observer is better equipped to attain an objective understanding of a situation compared to an active participant. Through his use of point of view to describe his unique perspectives, Sedaris reveals how one’s beliefs and actions can marginalize an individual and therefore develop their ethos. To demonstrate his lack of conformity with societal norms, Sedaris describes his unconventional actions that range from “hit[ting] [him]self over the head with [a] shoe” to “pressing [his] nose against the

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

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.

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

“OCD: The War inside” was a YouTube documentary exploring the lives of five individuals with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Tricia was an adolescent, living at home with her parents, and she described her OCD symptoms as “until it feels tight.” Tricia obsessions were related to germs obsessions (Washing OCD Subtype). As a child, Tricia describes her symptoms as washing hands, aligning books, re reading books and calculated numbers in her head. Also, when water touches her clothes she felt contaminated. Her dad described that Tricia avoided touching doorknobs in public places and would to tie her shoe or stop walking until someone opens the doors. Her rituals were rewashing and separating clothes by germs, washing hands and showering

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.

"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)

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.

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).

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

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.