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Speakers to Share OCD Experiences
International OCD Foundation adds new voices

BOSTON | An obsessive compulsive disorder suffer-turned-advocate, a leading expert in treating children with OCD, and the country’s best known hoarding experts have joined the Speakers’ Bureau of the International OCD Foundation.

The four new speakers join the elite group of 13 OCD sufferers and experts as the leading voices for the Foundation, an advocate and resource for the OCD community. The OCD Foundation, based in Boston, helps OCD suffers and their families access treatment, provides training for mental health professional, and funds vital OCD research.

“Our speakers enable us to put a face to this disorder,” said Dr. Jeff Szymanski, executive director of the OCD Foundation. “By sharing their personal stories and their immense expertise in research and treatment of OCD, our speakers provide a wealth of knowledge and resources to the public, allowing us to further our education goals.”

The new speakers are:

Shannon Shy is the author of ”It'll be Okay: How I Kept Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) from Ruining My Life.” Shannon is a senior civilian attorney with the Department of the Navy and a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Marine Corps Reserve. Shannon was diagnosed with a severe case of OCD in 1997 while on active duty with the Marine Corps. With effective treatment, Shy has fought back against OCD and now works to educate others. He was the keynote speaker at the International OCD Foundation 2010 annual conference in Washington, D.C.

Eric A. Storch, Ph.D. is currently an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of South Florida and holds joint appointments in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology. Dr. Storch is a licensed clinical psychologist and serves as the Director of the University of South Florida Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Program. He specializes in the cognitive behavioral treatment of childhood and adult obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as other obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders and anxiety disorders.

Dr. Randy O. Frost received his PhD from the University of Kansas in 1977 and is currently the Harold and Elsa Siipola Israel Professor of Psychology at Smith College. He is an internationally recognized expert on obsessive-compulsive disorder and compulsive hoarding and has published more than 130 scientific articles and book chapters on these topics. Dr. Frost serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation. His newest book, “Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things,” was published in 2010.

Dr. Gail Steketee is Dean and Professor at Boston University’s School of Social Work. She has published over 180 articles and chapters as well as 12 books. Her works are mainly focused on evidence-based treatments for OCD and related disorders such as hoarding, as well as cognitive aspects of OCD. Recent books include “Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things” with Frost, an upcoming edited volume on OC spectrum conditions (Oxford University Press), and a co-authored book by Bratiotis, Sorrentino and Steketee on Hoarding and Human Services (Oxford University Press).

All of the OCD Foundation’s speakers are available for lectures, presentations and interviews. Visit www.ocfoundation.org for more info on all the speakers’ bureau members.

About the International OCD Foundation:

The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) is the foremost resource about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and related illnesses. It is an international organization that exists to raise awareness among policy makers and the general public about OCD, educate the mental health community about the latest treatments and research, connect people suffering from OCD with treatment providers, and advance research for more effective treatments. Based in Boston, the IOCDF has affiliates in California, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. The IOCDF was founded as the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation in 1986 by a dozen OCD patients at Yale. Today, the organization has an annual $1 million annual operating budget, has granted $2.5 million for treatment research, and is a resource for tens of thousands of people. For more information, visit www.ocfoundation.org.