Penny grew up consumed by catastrophic thoughts and developed habits to try to ward off impending doom. It turned out she had been living with obsessive compulsive disorder for 30 years

Penny Moodie grew up consumed by catastrophic thoughts and ideas - that her parents would die in a car crash, that her mother was not really her mother, or that she had somehow contracted HIV aids.

It's not unusual for children to worry about their parents and their own safety, but for Penny these anxieties went much further.

She thought she could ward off catastrophes by doing specific things, by developing compulsive behaviours and routines.

It turns out, Penny had been living obsessive compulsive disorder for more than 30 years before she was diagnosed.

Only recently has Penny been able to understand what she's truly afraid of, to discard her constant state of anxiety and to finally take joy in the simple pleasures of life.

Further information

The Joy Thief: How OCD steals your happiness and how to get it back is published by Allen & Unwin

To binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.