Get to know OCD

Kerry Osborn believed her OCD was helping her — giving her a sense of control in situations that felt uncertain and overwhelming. What started after a traumatic experience slowly turned into a system of rules, rituals, and “if I do this, then nothing bad will happen” thinking that took over more and more of her life. It didn’t feel irrational at the time. It felt necessary.In this episode, Kerry shares how OCD convinced her she had control, why that belief was so hard to let go of, and what changed when she finally started confronting it in therapy. It’s an honest look at how convincing OCD can be — and what it takes to break out of it.At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YTFollow us on social media:https://www.instagram.com/treatmyocd/https://twitter.com/treatmyocdhttps://www.tiktok.com/@treatmyocd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alyssa Lentz had enough of OCD interfering with her life personally so she never imagined treating it professionally. Like many therapists, her early training barely scratched the surface of what it actually takes to treat OCD effectively. But after pursuing specialized training and surrounding herself with others doing the same work, everything started to click.In this episode, Alyssa shares what it’s like to go from living with OCD to treating it every day — how her understanding of the disorder evolved, what makes exposure and response prevention (ERP) so effective, and why having the right support and community can completely change how you show up as a therapist. It’s a full-circle story that highlights both the challenges and the impact of doing treatment the right way.If you’re ready to deepen your ERP skills and work somewhere specialized OCD treatment is the focus — not an afterthought — explore joining the team at NOCD: https://learn.nocd.com/therapist_careersFollow us on social media:https://www.instagram.com/treatmyocd/https://twitter.com/treatmyocdhttps://www.tiktok.com/@treatmyocd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

OCD doesn’t just affect how you think, it can take over how you spend your time. What starts as a few minutes of checking, cleaning, or mental reassurance can quickly turn into hours lost every single day. Add that up every day for years, and you start to realize — OCD isn’t just taking your time, it’s taking your life. In this video, Dr. Patrick McGrath breaks down why OCD's time-consuming patterns are so hard to break and what it’s actually costing you in your life.At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YTFollow us on social media:https://www.instagram.com/treatmyocd/https://twitter.com/treatmyocdhttps://www.tiktok.com/@treatmyocd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Alessandra Rizzotti first started her therapy career, OCD was barely covered in her training — just a brief mention, without much depth or real guidance on how to treat it. Like many therapists, she had experience with approaches like CBT and DBT, but didn’t truly understand how OCD works or how often it gets missed, misdiagnosed, or treated the wrong way.In this episode, Alessandra shares how that changed 180 degrees after joining NOCD. She talks about what surprised her most, how her understanding of OCD completely shifted, and what it actually takes to feel confident treating a condition that’s often far more complex than people realize.At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YTFollow us on social media:https://www.instagram.com/treatmyocd/https://twitter.com/treatmyocdhttps://www.tiktok.com/@treatmyocd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Washing your hands, cleaning your home, and being mindful about germs — all of that can be good hygiene. But at what point does it cross the line into being OCD? It's not always clear, and OCD feeds off that thin line. In this video, Dr. Patrick McGrath breaks down how to tell the difference between normal hygiene and compulsive behaviors driven by fear. He explains why OCD often pushes people to go “above and beyond,” turning reasonable habits into rigid routines that are hard to stop.At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YTFollow us on social media:https://www.instagram.com/treatmyocd/https://twitter.com/treatmyocdhttps://www.tiktok.com/@treatmyocd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever had a fear that felt completely real, even when you knew it most likely wasn’t? John Green has. In this video, John shares how OCD fears can blur the line between thoughts and reality, and why no amount of reassurance ever feels like enough. He opens up about the constant checking and excessive googling that once consumed hours of his day, and why trying to “logic away” his fear never worked.John also talks about what changed after he started exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, and how gradually facing his fears, in a safe environment with a specialty-trained professional, gave him a greater ability to exist in the world.At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

OCD doesn’t just affect one person, it can quietly take over an entire household. What starts as small accommodations to reduce anxiety can turn into daily routines shaped around OCD, pulling parents and family members into cycles of reassurance, avoidance, and accommodation that keep the disorder in full control.In this episode, Marni Jacob, a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating OCD in children and families, explains how this dynamic develops and what it takes to break it. She shares how families can begin stepping out of the cycle, reduce accommodations, and support their child in a way that builds confidence instead of reinforcing OCD.At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YTFollow us on social media:https://www.instagram.com/treatmyocd/https://twitter.com/treatmyocdhttps://www.tiktok.com/@treatmyocd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author and YouTuber John Green sits down with Dr. Patrick McGrath, NOCD’s Chief Clinical Officer, to answer the internet’s most-asked questions about OCD, including:• How do you ask for help when your intrusive thoughts feel too shameful to talk about?• Why do intrusive thoughts feel so real?• What’s the most important thing someone with OCD should know?...and more.John also shares how OCD treatment helped him, even when he doubted it would, and his advice for getting through hard days.At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lauren Rosen’s OCD didn’t always look like the compulsions people expect. Much of it was happening entirely in her mind. For years, she found herself trapped in endless mental loops — replaying conversations, questioning her thoughts, and trying to “figure out” whether something meant she had done something wrong. Because these compulsions were invisible, it took a long time to recognize that the thinking itself had become part of the OCD cycle.She joins the podcast to discuss how mental compulsions and rumination keep the OCD cycle going. Lauren also gets into what's helped her get better. Therapy, yes, but also mindfulness and accepting uncertainty. She uses this not just for herself, but treating others for OCD and anxiety too. At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YTFollow us on social media:https://www.instagram.com/treatmyocd/https://twitter.com/treatmyocdhttps://www.tiktok.com/@treatmyocd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It started with a simple moment. Lunch. A new romantic relationship. Feeling good about the future. Then a thought slipped in: what if I have an STD and just don’t know it? That’s how OCD entered Will Schultz’s life. What began as one intrusive question quickly spiraled into fears of HIV, contaminated needles, rabies, and eventually a deep distrust of his own memory and senses.On this episode of the Get to Know OCD podcast, Will shares how that single “what if” thought grew into years of fear, and what finally changed. Even after learning it was OCD and knowing the right treatment, he still struggled to face it. Recovery didn’t begin with more reassurance. It began when he made a decision: staying safe was no longer the priority — confronting OCD was.At NOCD, we specialize in exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), the most effective treatment for OCD—a treatment that can help you live a fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take your first step, book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YTFollow us on social media:https://www.instagram.com/treatmyocd/https://twitter.com/treatmyocdhttps://www.tiktok.com/@treatmyocd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Sabawi joins the Get to Know OCD podcast to talk about his short film, For All I Know. The film centers on OCD. Its title reflects the kind of intrusive uncertainty that defines the disorder — the constant “for all I know…” spiral that turns ordinary thoughts into imagined catastrophes. While developing the film, Sam consulted with NOCD's Dr. Patrick McGrath, who even makes a cameo in the film.When creating For All I Know, Sam was intentional about portraying the internal experience of OCD — the mental loops, the doubt, and the relentless uncertainty that rarely get shown accurately on big-name TV shows and Hollywood movies. Rather than focusing on stereotypes, the film aims to capture what OCD actually feels like from the inside. Sam is here to tell us about the entire film-making process and what he hopes audiences (with OCD or not) get out of watching it.NOCD specializes in exposure and response prevention therapy, the most effective treatment for OCD. Want to explore your treatment options? Book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YTFollow us on social media:https://www.instagram.com/treatmyocd/https://twitter.com/treatmyocdhttps://www.tiktok.com/@treatmyocd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One year, Stephen Smith was the starting quarterback at his college. The next year, he was completely housebound, debilitated by a condition he didn't even have a name for yet.In this powerful episode of the Get to know OCD podcast, NOCD Co-founder and CEO Stephen Smith sits down with Dr. Patrick McGrath to share the story behind NOCD—from its founding through its journey to becoming the world's leading OCD treatment provider—and how Stephen’s own personal struggle with severe OCD fueled the creation of NOCD.You'll hear about...The onset of Stephen's severe OCD at age 20, and how being misdiagnosed by four different healthcare providers nearly destroyed his lifeStephen’s life-changing experience with exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, and how his struggle to access this treatment ultimately sparked the idea for NOCDThe make-or-break moments along NOCD's journey to helping hundreds of thousands of people access life-changing OCD therapyNOCD specializes in exposure and response prevention therapy, the most effective treatment for OCD. Want to explore your treatment options? Book a free 15-minute call with us at https://learn.nocd.com/YT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.