What Happened When I Finally Got Medicated for My OCD

The Compulsions I Thought Were Part of Me Were Actually Burying Me

This article is a co-publication of Zócalo Public Square and State of Mind, a partnership of Slate and Arizona State University focused on covering mental health.

I’ve had OCD for as long as I can remember. My parents just didn’t know what to call it. I seemed like your average worrywart. No go-karts for me at birthday parties and no rides at Disney, outside of “it’s a small world” (which now seems scarier than any roller coaster because of the singing animatronics). I refused to …

To End Infectious Disease, We Must Cure Our Societal Ills

Wars, Politics, and the Anti-Vaccine Movement Plague Global Efforts to Stop Epidemics

It once was stated that “man’s weakness is not achieving victories, but in taking advantage of them.” Indeed, this is the case for global infection control. Throughout history we have …

One Vicodin or Five—Who Cares?

Everyone Messes Up Their Pills, But It Doesn’t Have to Be This Bad

Do we take so many pills these days that we don’t even notice what the labels say anymore? I barely pay attention to the labels myself, and I write about …