ABOUT ELIZABETH

ABOUT ELIZABETH

At the age of thirteen, Elizabeth McIngvale was diagnosed with OCD so severe her parents were told it was 'untreatable.'  Cognitive behavioral therapy helped Elizabeth defy that early prognosis and today she is living a manageable life. She received her master’s in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago and is currently a PhD student at the University of Houston. Elizabeth is the founder of The Peace of Mind Foundation, the first national spokesperson for the International OCD Foundation, a skilled public speaker, and highly sought after guest for national television and radio programs. Elizabeth believes that no one with OCD should suffer in silence and works daily to make adequate care available to all living with the illness. Elizabeth and her family have recently launched ocdchallenge.org which is an interactive self-help website for those living with OCD. Through advocacy and public campaigns Elizabeth hopes to stamp out the stigma associated with mental illness.

ELIZABETH'S OCD TIMELINE
  • 1999 - Elizabeth begins struggling with contamination issues.  She secretly washes her hands more than a hundred times a day with soap, alcohol, and Clorox.
  • 2000 - Elizabeth is diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  Her OCD quickly spirals into scrupulosity, counting, checking, and intrusive thoughts.
  • 2002 - The McIngvale family intervention.  Elizabeth is involuntarily admitted to Menninger's Clinic in Topeka, Kansas.
  • 2005 - Elizabeth appears on the Dr. Phil show and goes public with her OCD.
  • 2006 - Elizabeth becomes the first-ever national spokesperson or what is now the International OCD Foundation.  She is the focus of a national PSA campaign, and appears on Good Morning America, The View, CNN, Inside Edition, Sirius Radio, and ABC Houston.  She starts the Peace of Mind Foundation.
  • 2009 - Elizabeth receives her undergraduate degree from Loyola University - Chicago and begins working on her Master's degree in Social Work.
  • 2010 - Elizabeth taped an OCD series for VH1 titled The OCD Project.
  • 2011- The McIngvale family launched their self-help website for OCD titled ocdchallenge.org.