The Fear Talking: a study of anxiety and OCD through narrative and lived experience

Westoby, Christopher Aaron

Abstract

This is a study of generalized anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and depression, and their effect on young adult life, presented as a first-person, present-tense narrative. The data is provided by the author’s experience and memory.
The thesis includes an autobiographical account of neurosis, titled The Fear Talking, and an exegesis which explores how the author creatively engages with the experience, knowledge and research on mental illness.
The Fear Talking follows a sixteen year-old with a life-long anxiety disorder as he navigates further education and strives to maintain relationships with his friends, family and girlfriend. At his lowest point, facing expulsion from college, a seemingly miraculous recovery allows his quality of life to improve. Afraid of relapsing, the narrator becomes obsessed with cause and effect, trying to obtain control over chance, and sinking into a new neurosis that masquerades as recovery.
The exegesis presents a foundation of published texts that explore mental health using narrative, including journal essays on qualitative and narrative research in mental health, memoir, autofiction, popular science works, and the novel. It provides a commentary on how the author’s study of the field of illness narrative influenced The Fear Talking and details how the writing aspires to further the readership’s awareness and understanding of mental illness.

Citation

Westoby, C. A. (2019). The Fear Talking: a study of anxiety and OCD through narrative and lived experience. (Thesis). University of Hull. Retrieved from https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4666580

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: May 15, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: May 15, 2024
• Keywords: Creative writing
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4666580
• Additional Information: Faculty of Arts, Culture and Education; University of Hull
• Award Date: May 1, 2019