The Obsessive Outsider: One woman's journey from severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to a life lived abundantly

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The books author, Kerry Osborn, is a mental health/OCD advocate, mental health blogger, public speaker, writer and founder of The Obsessive Outsiders digital 'mentally misunderstood' movement. Osborn is a long time sufferer of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, which set in as a young adult with no genetic history of mental illness.

Kerry Alayne Osborn lived a completely normal life until the sudden onset of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) at the age of seventeen. Her charmed life turned upside down as her new diagnosis of OCD set in, leaving her life spinning out of control. While trying to live a normal life, as she battled through the maze of OCD, she found her OCD mind had different plans. Unlike the common stigma of OCD, Kerry found herself with a case of OCD that is the exact opposite of the known 'perfectionism', and 'cleanliness' oriented disorder.

Several dark years later, bound in the chains of OCD, the outsider found herself on a leather couch in a manic state, sitting across from the one therapist who would go on to mentor her to live an abundant life. Once confined to the isolation of her dorm room with no friends, a loss of identity, and betrayal of her own mind, Kerry pushed through to break the foundation of her dire belief system in OCD.

Passing through the waiting rooms of many untargeted therapists, Osborn finally found Jim Sterner, LMFT and enrolled in The Gateway Institute's Intensive Therapy Program in 2010. It was during the program Kerry initially realized the disconnection of her magical thinking OCD. Osborn has worked for years to live a normal life credited to behavioral therapy and perseverance. Jim Sterner's reflection on his work with Kerry over the years is profound, stating, "Coming from unimaginable depths of OCD, Kerry's entire life was completely entangled in her intrusive thoughts, and almost every hour of every day was committed to neutralizing her fears and anxiety through hundreds of compulsions. After committing herself to intensive OCD treatment, Kerry has risen to improbable heights. Not only has she learned to live free of OCD, she has written a beautiful memoir about her personal journey, and is leading a website that has reached thousands of people that are continuously learning and benefiting from her experience. Kerry is a testament that if one dedicates themselves to treatment; one can overcome this dreadful disease in an overwhelming fashion. I am immensely proud of her progress along with her commitment to disseminate her knowledge for the benefit of others suffering from OCD."

As Kerry slowly immersed back into living life again, she noticed the lack of patient-to-patient memoirs on the market demonstrating living a successful life after the worst of OCD. She decided to create the book of hope she wished she had found during her years of suffering. Osborn credits the book to being the friend she never had for other OCD sufferers to feel less alone and see first-hand that with the proper therapy, tools and perseverance, one can absolutely live an abundant life amidst Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, in a state of ongoing OCD Recovery.

Kerry's infectious, unapologetic, and refreshing voice doesn't hold back. In her book, The Obsessive Outsider, she shares her journey, giving sound advice on how to tangibly do something about OCD. Putting the good, bad and the ugly on display for the world, she chooses to be a face for the misunderstood disorder that almost cost her everything. Kerry is devoted to proving that a life in recovery from the worst of OCD is possible, given the right tools and perseverance.

The Obsessive Outsider is now available to be purchased on Amazon in both print & Kindle versions internationally, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Nook, Kobo, Kobo Plus, Tolino, Baker & Taylor, Scribd, 24 Symbols, OverDrive, Bibliotheca, Hoopla, !ndigo, Angus & Robertson. The book is also available via ISBN on IngramSpark for library and bookstore purchases.

ISBN #: 978-0-578-57708-1

SOURCE The Obsessive Outsider