LiveWorld Transcripts

Borders.com presents

Emily Colas
Author of the book "Just Checking"

June 29, 1998

Borders.com presents NetCafeLive with Emily Colas, author of the book "Just Checking" who discusses health issues concerning obsessive-compulsive disorder, mental disorder, and therapy.

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KatCCC: Borders.com(tm), in association with Talk City(tm) Welcomes you! Tonight's special guest is Emily Colas, author of "Just Checking." "Just Checking" is a raw, darkly comic series of astonishing vignettes chronicling Emily's achingly twisted journey through the obsessive-compulsive disorder that came to dominate her world. In the beginning it was germs and food; to her mind, anything from the ground-up hypodermic needles to disease-tainted blood could be on her restaurant plate. By the time she faced the fact that she was really "losing it," Emily had become a slave to her own hobbies, from the frenetic daily hair trims she gave herself to the incessant inspections of her children's clothes for bloodstains. She was checking the carpet for dangerous debris, and packaged goods for possible tampering. Soon there was no interval in Colas' life when she was not "Just Checking." Borders.com and Talk City welcome. Emily Colas Thank you for being with us tonight here at Borders.com’s NetCafeLive.

Emily Colas: Hi there, and thank you!

Katrina: Emily, when was it that you first noticed you were having problems with your fears?

Emily Colas: Probably in college. I've always had fears and worries, and a combination of things made it unmanageable. One of those things was a bad drug trip, that made me see things differently. Also, I met my future husband, who was willing to cater to it and let my thoughts "explode." Basically, age-wise, it got out of control when I was 18-25 years of age.

Mango: How long did it take you to finally know that your fears "weren't typical" ?

Emily Colas: Well, I don't remember a specific time. I never felt quite right all my life, wasn't sure why. It was when I got involved with the drugs that I felt my fears went to a whole new level. At that point I realized that things were past "normal."

Terry: What gave you the idea to write about your problem?

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