This topic is extremely interesting to me because I have struggled with OCD since my junior year in High School.  I learned quickly that having a mental illness was way harder than I expected, and that society had told me my whole life that OCD was one thing, when in reality it was something completely different.  I'm so passionate about this because it truly makes me cringe when people refer to something that shaped so much of my life, in such a casual manner.  I also realize that this happens with plenty of other mental illnesses and the problem needs to be addressed.  I know I'm qualified to write about this because I know almost everything there is to know about OCD and I know how it affects a person, and how serious it is.  I think I can definitely talk about it from the heart, and hopefully write an impacting research paper.  

In order to answer my research question, I am going to begin with the following three sources.  The first source is from the International OCD Foundation, and it is entitled "What is OCD." The basic premise of the article first puts a reader in a "what if" situation, so they can understand the severity of OCD.  Then, the article gives tons of facts about OCD and explains what exactly it is.  I think it is really important to have both of these elements in my research paper because first things first my readers need to be informed, and by putting them in a "what if" situation, they might be able to better understand the struggles that someone with OCD faces everyday.  The source is clearly credible because it is from the IOCDF and is off the number one website to learn anything about OCD.  There is no bias in this, mostly just facts.

The second source that I'm using is an article about the issue with a sweater that target released saying on it "Obsessive Christmas Disorder."  The article was on USA Today and was called "Target Accused Trivializing Mental Illness OCD Sweater."  I think this is important to use in my essay because it is a perfect example of how society mocks mental illnesses.  This source is completely reliable because it is on USA Today which is a reliable website.  It does not have any bias because it is just explaining the issue rather than picking a side, I think it will be a helpful real-life example to use in my paper.  

The third source I am using is an article off of US News and World Report titled, "How Mental Illness is Misrepresented in the Media."  I think this source will be extremely helpful because it is not specifically about OCD, and although I would like the majority of my essay to focus on OCD, I also want to address that it is not the only Mental Illness that is stereotyped.  I think it will be helpful to use a biased source, especially off of such a reliable news source like US News and World Report.  I hope that this source can strongly influence my readers.  The article also addresses certain myths society has about Mental Illnesses and explains how they aren't true.  

I am completely able to argue this point.  With a topic like this, there aren't really two sides to the story.  The fact is it is wrong how we label mental illnesses and those who suffer from them, and I know I can argue that.  I will be able to include so many personal stories, and I know the Kairos on this topic is great especially with everything that happened with the Target christmas sweater.  I am really excited to tell my story and write about how the situation society is in right now with regard to mental illnesses is not okay.  

