Overview
OCD Dave is founded and run by me, Dave Mackey. I’m currently IT Director for Liquid Church, previously I was Pastor of Calvary Community Church in Penndel, PA. I’ve suffered from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and coexisting (comorbid) Depression as far back as I can remember. In more recent years I’ve been diagnosed with (formerly untreated) ADD and insomnia.
I manage to live a fairly normal external life, though internally I am often tormented. OCD Dave is my journey to understand and survive the devastation of mental health issues, to hopefully provide a better quality of life for myself and others – and especially to yield insights into the relationship of spirituality to mental health.
Mental Illness
Issues with my mental health can be divided into three overarching areas, with further subdivisions within these areas. It may seem surprising to hear that I have multiple areas of weakness, but this is not unusual for mental health issues. They oftentimes occur in clusters of two or more disorders.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD consists of obsessions (intrusive and repetitive thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive actions to “purge” the thoughts). There is a general form of OCD – oftentimes seen in hand washing, checking, counting, etc. I’ve struggled with various aspects of this form throughout my life but more particularly have been tormented by scrupulosity – a form of the disorder which infiltrates one’s spirituality.
In addition, I may not qualify for but certainly sometimes experience significant distress from disorders on the OCD spectrum including trichotillomania, dermatillomania, and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). This also includes vocal tics.
Depression
I experience a continual dysthymic depression. This is a general depression of not great depth but of continual persistence. In other words, I feel joy and happiness less frequently or intensely than most other individuals.
This is punctuated occasionally by major depressive episodes. These episodes don’t last as long but are much more intense. A major depressive episode is the sort that keeps one from getting out of bed and removes all desire for life.
Attention Deficit Disorder
Most folks are familiar with ADHD – which includes a hyperactive component. I do not have the hyperactive component, but I do have ADD. ADD causes significant distress in attempting to complete important tasks and meeting social expectations.