It'll Be Okay

Shannon Shy is a senior civilian attorney with the Department of the Navy and a retired U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Lieutenant Colonel. In 1997 while on active duty with the Marines he was diagnosed with a severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD. His OCD had become so severe he became practically non-functioning. He constantly found himself in a seemingly endless loop of intrusive and irrational thoughts mental anguish physical pain and odd behaviors. It got to the point where he secretly and repeatedly thought that suicide would be better than the anguish embarrassment and the pain. While he had suspected for several years that he had some disorder he was afraid to admit it to anyone and afraid to be diagnosed. He had concluded that doing so would cause him to lose his career and his wife and two young sons. Finally after some nudging from his wife and a colleague and after one very memorable OCD episode he called a psychiatrist. With the aid of doctors medication and behavioral therapy he developed an effective behavioral strategy (what he calls Ground Rules and Checkpoints) to manage his OCD. He now lives a very happy and productive life and has for many years--without medication and without doctors. OCD no longer adversely affects him. This book is about how a young Marine officer attorney and family man faced and overcame a relentless enemy called OCD. It is a story about struggle perseverance and overcoming adversity. This book is not intended as medical advice. Rather it provides hope comfort confidence and insight to some practical techniques for those suffering from OCD and for those trying to help someone with OCD.