Is It OCD, Anxiety, or Disordered Eating? The Overlap, the Misdiagnosis, and Why It Matters for Recovery with Dana Colthart, LCSW

About this episode

Abbie Attwood and Dana Colthart discuss the complexities and overlaps between OCD, anxiety, and disordered eating, highlighting the importance of accurate diagnosis for recovery.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com Abbie sits down with Dana Colthart, LCSW, a therapist specializing in OCD and eating disorders, to explore one of the most under-diagnosed and misunderstood overlaps in mental health. From intrusive thoughts to diet culture to why you can’t logic your way into recovery, this conversation explores what's truly driving our fears, our coping strategies, and the compulsions holding us back. The first part of this episode is free for everyone. Paid subscribers can hear the entire conversation. You can upgrade here: https://abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe In this episode: * Why OCD is so much more than hand-washing and organization — and what it actually looks like * The key difference between OCD and generalized anxiety disorder, and why misdiagnosis is so common * How the OCD cycle works: the obsession, the compulsion, the temporary relief, and why that relief is the trap * What reassurance-seeking is, why it counts as a compulsion, and how it shows up in relationships with food and body image * Pure-O OCD — when the compulsions are entirely mental, and why this goes…

People in this episode

Host: Abbie Attwood

Guest: Dana Colthart

Topics covered

• OCD
• anxiety
• disordered eating
• mental health
• misdiagnosis
• diet culture

Keywords

• OCD
• anxiety
• disordered eating
• mental health
• diet culture
• compulsions
• intrusive thoughts

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com, Full Plate

More episodes of The Full Plate Podcast with Abbie Attwood, MS

• Inherited Body Shame, Disordered Eating, and Learning to Stop Fighting a Body You Were Always Going to Have with Kate Zigrang · June 1, 2026 · 39 min
• Moving Without Punishment: A Weight-Neutral Approach to Exercise with Anna Maltby · May 18, 2026 · 56 min
• Why Girls Are Struggling With Their Bodies More Than Ever with Dr. Charlotte Markey · May 11, 2026 · 55 min
• Dating in Recovery: On Vulnerability, Diet Culture in Relationships, and Finding Someone Who Can Handle the Hard Stuff (Bonus Episode) · May 4, 2026 · 7 min
• "GLP-1 Marketing is Scorched Earth": On Culture, Ethics, and Starvation States with Virgie Tovar · April 27, 2026 · 1h 4m
• “It Works Until It Doesn’t”: Under-Eating, Shrinking to Belong, and the Long Game of Taking Care of Your Body with Leslie Schilling, RD (Part Two) · April 20, 2026 · 6 min