Just Checking: Scenes From the Life of an Obsessive-Compulsive

Just Checking is a memoir chronicling Emily Colas's life with obsessive-compulsive disorder, structured as a series of vignette-style entries across four sections. The book follows her experiences from childhood through motherhood, documenting how OCD impacts every aspect of her daily existence. The narrative captures Colas's intense fears and compulsions, particularly her fixation on contamination and disease transmission through minimal contact. Her relationships with family, friends, and domestic help become complicated by elaborate checking rituals and safety protocols she creates to manage her anxieties. The book traces Colas's journey through marriage, parenthood, and eventual divorce, while living with increasingly demanding obsessive thoughts and behaviors. It documents her ultimate decision to seek treatment for her condition. Through its raw portrayal of mental illness, the memoir explores themes of control, isolation, and the impact of OCD on both the individual and their closest relationships. The fragmentary structure mirrors the disruptive nature of obsessive thoughts in daily life.

Readers describe this memoir as a raw, unflinching look at living with OCD through brief vignettes. Many note the dark humor and straightforward writing style helps make a difficult subject more approachable. Readers appreciated: - The short, diary-like format making it easy to read - The author's honesty about her symptoms and struggles - The balance of humor with serious subject matter Common criticisms: - Lacks depth and emotional connection - Feels fragmented and disconnected - Ends abruptly without resolution Ratings: Goodreads: 3.5/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 3.8/5 (90+ reviews) Several readers mentioned feeling validated seeing their own OCD experiences reflected. Others found it educational for understanding loved ones with OCD. As one Amazon reviewer noted: "Her matter-of-fact approach helped me understand my daughter's thought processes." Some readers expressed frustration with the lack of growth or treatment discussion. A Goodreads reviewer wrote: "I wanted more insight into recovery rather than just descriptions of symptoms."

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🔍 OCD affects approximately 2.3% of the adult population worldwide, making stories like Colas's relatable to millions of people 📚 The book was published in 1998 and became one of the first widely-recognized memoirs focused specifically on living with OCD 💫 Emily Colas wrote this memoir while pursuing her Master's degree in Creative Writing at New York University 🏥 The "checking" referenced in the title is one of the most common OCD compulsions, affecting about 80% of people with the disorder 💡 The vignette format used in the book was specifically chosen to mirror the fragmented nature of obsessive thoughts, creating a unique literary parallel to the OCD experience