Can You Be An Author and have O.C.D.?

Vrinda Pendred, is the Editor & Founder of Conditional Publications. She says, "Ever since I was a small child, growing up in Arizona, I have wanted to write. When I was 7, I was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, and over the years since I have learned I also have OCD, ADHD, Autism and Bipolar Disorder, which color all I do. Now living in Hertfordshire, England with my husband and our son, in 2008 I decided to establish Conditional Publications for fellow writers living with neurological conditions. To launch the company, on 11 May 2010 I will be publishing a collection of fiction, poetry and artwork about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder by 20 contributors including myself, entitled Check Mates. There really aren’t enough books and websites out there preaching positivity regarding these types of conditions – nor is there enough that expresses how truly difficult it can be to live with one of them (let alone more than one, as many people do). Yet I have heard/read so many times that people with neurological disorders are usually highly creative people (indeed, many psychiatrists believe certain nervous disorders might even be a prerequisite to being so creative) – and that art/music/writing can be incredibly therapeutic. This is why I wanted to start this imprint: to provide a creative outlet for people, and (hopefully) to change a few minds out there about what neurological disorders really are – including not just the limitations, pain or frustration, but also the more positive, beneficial ’symptoms’ of these mysterious conditions." Vrinda Pendred is the Editor & Founder of Conditional Publications http://conditionalpublications