Two years ago, my friends and I accomplished something truly great. My ADHD and OCD helped me through this process despite the stress they can cause.
A SHABy Flight and a Soaring Success
Behind the Scenes: Cameras and Computers
Last week we discussed the software powering this blog and its media. This week, lets reveal the various physical devices behind HyerOCD. I am not endorsed by, nor obtaining any financial gain from, the products listed below. Ultimately, a blog requires no more hardware than a word processor with internet access. Many dedicated blogging platforms…
Behind the Scenes: Infrastructure
Since I haven't published for a few weeks because of moving—and I've cited finishing my setup—I thought it'd be fun to write a two-part series describing what powers HyerOCD. Today, I'll lay out the software and services powering this page and its content. I am not endorsed by, nor obtaining any financial gain from, the…
Origin Stories: Writhing Crawdads
Intrusive thoughts center around morality. As discussed in "What is OCD Really," intrusions range from contaminating oneself to accidentally killing someone to forming incestuous relationships. Many OCD sufferers share similar fears due to widespread commonalities in moral codes (for a discussion on common fears, read "The Diversity of OCD"). Anecdotally and interestingly, obsessional fears begin…
Hello, My Name Is
OCD and ADHD affect my role as an employee. From being denied jobs to managing deadlines to emergency responses, my disorders has severely impacted my work capacity. However, not all the effects on my job are negative: OCD and ADHD also provide major benefits to my work performance. Often times, my mental disorders only hurt…
Video Game Portrayals of Mental Health
Welcome to our new series: Media Spotlights! This series will highlight and analyze any form of media or art relating to mental health. Of course, that's a broad category and holds a wealth of meaningful content. Most anyone who knows me is well aware of my love for video games. Let's begin this series by…
Epione’s Fall
I'm pleased to present HyerOCD's first video proper! Today, we'll take a personal look into a common compulsion: skin picking. Many people with OCD pick their skin or pull their hair in response to intrusions. In some cases, individuals may pick and pull until they're bleeding or even use items to avoid stronger intrusive thoughts.…
Those Who Bring Light
A rock climber needs a partner to prevent them from falling. Divers almost always descend in pairs. Emergency medical services operate in droves. Homo sapiens are social animals and wandering through life alone risks everything. When the world seems darkest, when the spirals become too severe, when the intrusive thoughts won't stop, those who love…
Two Laptops and Fourteen Hours
Two monitors, two laptops, a mouse, keyboard, and six-pack sprawl before as moonlight filters through large windows behind me. It's three in the morning, and I am starving. I am a stickler for reusing electronics. To make a long argument very, very short: computers don't "slow down," software "gets fatter." If you re-purpose a machine…
A Dangerous Word: “Neurotypical”
Last Sunday, I came across a Tweet telling "neurotypical" people to screw off. After some Twitter-based research, I realized that the term has become a derogatory referent. As the name implies, "neurotypical" means people without known mental health disorders—the word appears to include both chronic and acute disorders, but with a bias towards chronic disorders.…