Nadya... did OCD make you have those babies?

Hands down, for me, this is the most interesting thought the media echoed all week. Honestly, I have never thought of OCD in this context. I know Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can make suffers do things they really don't want to, do things they really don't feel good about doing, do things they really don't think are logical, but could it make a mom have more kids?

The obsessive logic here (or lack there of) might be simply obsessiveness about being a mother. The logic might be to have more babies to fill some kind or perceptive void in the mind. I don't think it has anything to do with counting or trying to hit a certain number. But could it? She did control the number of embryos?

Both of Nayda's parents are now publicly questioning her mental-health state. Of course Nadya's current actions may not be OCD actions at all, but may be relative to the cascade of flooding brain chemicals that can be brought on after giving birth to a child, or two, or even 8! In fact, hormone imbalance with respect to the levels of estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol in women can end up causing a state of postpartum psychosis; a serious mental disorder that can require medications or even being institutionalized.

Anyway... on NBC Today Nadya Suleman's mother, Angela, actually said that "...it seems as if she's obsessive compulsive and she needs to keep doing this and I hope she is not. I mean is 14 enough?". This quote happens about three minutes into the embedded video below.

OCD or not, I don't think a mental evaluation for Nadya would hurt anything at this point.

Do you have OCD? Take this Rorschach inkblot test:

Psychologists use this test to try to examine the personality characteristics and emotional functioning of their patients.

Note: This Rorschach is slightly modified from original.

This is the initial layout / mock-up for a series of prints I'm working on. Should turn out to be a series of 10 (or so) Rorschach-esk pieces.

What do you see?

What is a Rorschach inkblot test you ask?

Strange Days - painting by Dennis Ryan - in the works

3' X 4' acrylic painting on canvas

This piece titled Strange Days is approximately 70% finished. The photo above is a partial sketched version of the painting with mocked up signature, shadows and background, so colors may change as I head into the final piece.

I'm shooting for completion off this and another piece in early 2009 as I have been getting requests for "any new paintings?" from galleries in the West Chester and Lancaster PA area.

Gallery exhibitions will be collaborative and are likely to be in mid-2009.

Worry box - how to stop obsessive worrying

Occasionally I'll offer advice from my experience dealing with people with OCD. This is such a time.

I find the mind of an obsessive compulsive disorder sufferer can wreak havoc on their body. Yes, mental stress and worrying about the "what ifs" of life can actually manifest to real physical and medical problems – IF YOU LET THEM!

So my advice for those of you suffering from obsessive worrying and thought cycles that seem to circulate endlessly in your mind: is to create a worry box and place the worry in it. The worry box is not an actual physical box, but more of a metaphor or a mental container for storage. If you can set a time, date or place when to think about this thing you are obsessively worrying about, then you can actually break the cycle and make a plan for addressing it later. Yes the plan is the box. You essentially wrap your plan around the worry and tie it up and break it free from your mind.

For example: Say you have a health concern... something that you are worried about that is abnormally happening to your body. The worrying becomes compulsive. It gets so bad that the thoughts start to invade and interfere with your everyday life. Then, the worry actually starts to manifest itself into other problems like high levels of acid in your stomach that can cause ulcers. So now you're worried that if you don't stop worrying, then you'll develop chronic stomach problems. You start worrying about worrying! The worrying snowballs into more of a worry and consumes more of your time and thoughts. The cycle could go on and on... getting worse and worse...

...but you can stop it!

Make a worry box - in this case, a planned time somewhere in the near future when you will see your doctor or physician about your concern. Then every time the worry or obsessive thought enters back into your head, you just say to yourself "I'm putting it in the worry box" and go on about your business. The important part is that you ARE addressing the concern, but not making matters worse by obsessing over the problems which potentially cause more problems.

OCD Dress Up - wear one today!

How about this blue suit as the official uniform for obsessive compulsive disorder sufferers? The ones who are phobic about germs anyway.

Could help ease their pain, no?

Really though if it were socialably acceptable to walk around in one of these - without freaking other people out - then maybe OCD(ers) would have more social freedom.

I've been toying and adding the third dimension to several of my paintings through the use of soap dispensers, dish soap nipple caps and rubber gloves.

I'd like to get my hands on one of these suits too - hmmmm...