Share Your Recovery Story

Many thanks for spending time with OC87 Recovery Diaries. When we were out sharing the documentary OC87: The Obsessive Compulsive, Major Depression, Bipolar, Asperger’s Movie with the world, we discovered that some of the most exciting conversations happened after the film ended, when the audience members had a chance to share their compelling stories of struggle and inspiring journeys of recovery.

OC87RecoveryDiaries.org can be a place to share your mental health recovery story to inspire and connect you with others who might learn from your experience.

If you have a story to tell and don’t know how to share it, a great place to start is by commenting on the different entries already on our website and social media channels. Share your mental health recovery story. Talk to the community. Brainstorm ideas. Make connections. That’s what this website is all about.

Before you submit your personal essay, please consider the implications of writing about your personal mental health recovery story on OC87 Recovery Diaries. Because we take SEO (search engine optimization) seriously, your essay, once published, may very well be the first thing individuals (current or prospective employers, potential romantic partners, friends, family members, etc) will find upon searching your name. This is part of the reality of living in the digital age; nothing on the Internet ever goes away — ever. To that end, we at OC87 Recovery Diaries will respectfully decline to delete an essay once it is published (except for emergency situations) so consider your decision to submit to us carefully, and please weigh the pros and cons of pursuing publication with OC87 Recovery Diaries. You might not be ready to publish under your real and full name, which we require, and that is fine; other publications publish anonymous or pseudonymous work.

If you are ready to share your mental health recovery story now, please read the following guidelines. If we are interested in working with you to develop your piece into a OC87 Recovery Diaries essay, you will hear from us in 4 – 6 weeks with information on next steps. The staff of OC87 Recovery Diaries recognizes that substance abuse and/or addiction often co-occur with mental illness, and we welcome essays from writers struggling with mental health and substance co-occurring disorders.  However, we regret that we are unable to consider essays or content focusing solely on substance abuse or addiction at this time, nor will we consider essays about recovery from physical ailments or conditions.

Regrettably, due to the volume of submissions we receive, we are only able to respond to those authors we intend to feature on the site. If you do not hear from us within 4 – 6 weeks, you may assume that your proposal is not the right fit for OC87 Recovery Diaries, and you are welcome to submit another proposal at that time.

Submission Guidelines:

– Please send all inquiries to our team at submissions@oc87recoverydiaries.org. All content must be original and unpublished anywhere else, including personal blogs.

– Whether you are sending a completed written work or you are sending links to original videos, music, or artwork, please also include a paragraph in your email introducing yourself and a summary of your mental health recovery journey.

– Essays (approximately 1,200-1,500 words in length) should be copied and pasted in the body of the email below your introduction and summary of your journey.

– As part of our mission to bust stigma and combat the shame and secrecy that so often surrounds mental health challenges, OC87 Recovery Diaries does not accept anonymous or pseudonymous submissions. All contributors are expected to attach their real and full name to their contributions, including photos to complement their contributions.

– We offer a $150 honorarium for accepted posts, payable upon publication. Authors are paid via check. If you are an international author in a country where payment via check from an American company is problematic, you must either have an account with a bank that will accommodate a direct wire transfer, or you must have a PayPal account in order to be paid by OC87, Inc. We cannot make other payment arrangements.

– All contributors must sign an agreement that gives us permission to post your contribution on OC87 Recovery Diaries, on our social media platforms, and in any associated future projects in perpetuity. All of the rights for music, images, and other media must be cleared by you in advance of publication.

– All authors who are published on OC87 Recovery Diaries are asked to wait six months post-publication date prior to submitting another contribution to ensure OC87 Recovery Diaries continues to offer a diverse array of voices, stories, and content.