Paul Illidge

Paul Illidge wrote 7 posts

Must I? Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

By Paul Illidge I must. How many times a day do I hear that question in my head, always answering the same way in my subconscious, if not to myself out loud: I must! The musts dominate my life, as they do the lives of the millions of people living with obsessive-compulsive disorder which, according to the American Psychiatric Association, has become “One of the leading mental health issues of our time”.   What is OCD, as it’s called in the Diagnostic […]

Watch out for the Mongo Bongos

A compelling story by Paul Illidge about his experience with his charismatic mother who spent years in and out of psych wards. Paul came to call her behavior that verged on psychotic as “The Mongo Bongos”. When about to enter a seniors home and worried that her psychiatric history might prevent them from accepting her, he asked her to be on her best behavior. Read more to find out what happened next. It left me shocked when I first read it.