Elizabeth McIngvale (born 1987) is the founder of Peace of Mind, a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). She herself was diagnosed with OCD at the age of 12, and at age 18 became the national spokesperson for the International OCD Foundation. She lives in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

and is the daughter of area businessman

Jim McIngvale James Franklin McIngvale (born February 11, 1951), also known as "Mattress Mack", is an American businessman. He is known for owning and operating the Gallery Furniture retail chain, based in Houston, Texas. Early life and education McIngval ...

and his wife Linda. At one point doctors believed McIngvale's OCD was too severe to be treated. Her rituals included having to repeat menial tasks 42 times, obsessions with

religious symbolism A religious symbol is an iconic representation intended to represent a specific religion, or a specific concept within a given religion. Religious symbols have been used in the military in many countries, such as the United States military cha ...

, and washing her hands over 100 times a day. She engaged in exposure with response prevention (ERP) treatment for her OCD and now successfully manages her illness. She completed her bachelor's degree in 2009 and Master's in 2010 from

Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic Church, ...

. She earned her PhD from the University of Houston's Graduate College of Social Work in 2014 and her MBA from the Kellogg school of business management at Northwestern University. She is an adjunct assistant professor at

Baylor College of Medicine The Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a private medical school in Houston, Texas, United States. Originally as the Baylor University College of Medicine from 1903 to 1969, the college became independent with the current name and has been se ...

. Dr. McIngvale is the director of the OCD Institute of Texas, a specialized residential and intensive treatment center for OCD. McIngvale serves on multiple non-profit boards and is an advocate/speaker for mental illness on a national platform. Dr. McIngvale also founded and runs th
OCD Challenge website
which is a free self-help website for OCD.

References

External links

Elizabeth Mcingvale in International OCD FoundationPeace of Mind
{{DEFAULTSORT:McIngvale, Elizabeth 1987 births American disability rights activists Living people Loyola University Chicago alumni Activists from Houston People with obsessive–compulsive disorder American activists with disabilities 21st-century American people 21st-century American women