Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Category
Visual and Performing Arts (includes Creative Writing; sculpture, painting, video, dancing, music, reading, etc.)
Abstract/Artist Statement
My MFA thesis project, ‘Index of Obsessions,’ is an extended lyric essay that explores my experience with obsessive-compulsive disorder and my path towards healing. As a Ridge Scholar, ‘Index of Obsessions’ is an example of a creative project at the intersection of humanities and health. It is an experimental piece of creative writing that seeks to push the boundaries of what an essay can be, while also incorporating research that seeks to demystify the disorder and illuminate its individualistic nature. OCD is severely misunderstood in modern society. How many times have you heard, or you yourself have said, That’s so OCD, without a clear understanding of what that means. This is a symptom of the misrepresentation of OCD in contemporary media. It is a disorder that is exceptionally personal and thus difficult to explain. By documenting my experience through an intimate literary form, I hope to make accessible what is so often pathologized. In this way, ‘Index of Obsessions’ works to expand the canon of mental illness narratives by blending personal life-writing with technical research, and by offering a queer, feminist perspective. ‘Index of Obsessions’ explores the etiology and symptomatology of OCD, the historical prevalence of OCD in society—from its correlation to religious scrupulosity to the approach by psychoanalysts and behaviorists—as well as modern treatment methods. In poetic vignettes, the piece juxtaposes this scientific and historical research with specific scenes from a childhood and adolescence marked by disorder to reparative adulthood experiences with therapy, medication, and my work as a river-guide, all of which have led to remission.
Mentor Name
Amy Ratto Parks
Index of Obsessions
UC 329
My MFA thesis project, ‘Index of Obsessions,’ is an extended lyric essay that explores my experience with obsessive-compulsive disorder and my path towards healing. As a Ridge Scholar, ‘Index of Obsessions’ is an example of a creative project at the intersection of humanities and health. It is an experimental piece of creative writing that seeks to push the boundaries of what an essay can be, while also incorporating research that seeks to demystify the disorder and illuminate its individualistic nature. OCD is severely misunderstood in modern society. How many times have you heard, or you yourself have said, That’s so OCD, without a clear understanding of what that means. This is a symptom of the misrepresentation of OCD in contemporary media. It is a disorder that is exceptionally personal and thus difficult to explain. By documenting my experience through an intimate literary form, I hope to make accessible what is so often pathologized. In this way, ‘Index of Obsessions’ works to expand the canon of mental illness narratives by blending personal life-writing with technical research, and by offering a queer, feminist perspective. ‘Index of Obsessions’ explores the etiology and symptomatology of OCD, the historical prevalence of OCD in society—from its correlation to religious scrupulosity to the approach by psychoanalysts and behaviorists—as well as modern treatment methods. In poetic vignettes, the piece juxtaposes this scientific and historical research with specific scenes from a childhood and adolescence marked by disorder to reparative adulthood experiences with therapy, medication, and my work as a river-guide, all of which have led to remission.