Obsessed Tells Stories of Real People with Anxiety Disorder on A&E

Obsessed is a non fiction series on A&E that delves into the complicated condition of fear based anxiety disorders, including obsessing compulsive disorder. Obsessed, in its second season, follows the Emmy winning series Intervention on A&E on Monday night.

Anxiety disorders can be debilitating and rob a person out of the joy of life because of fear. Fear is a normal reaction to threatening situations, but people with anxiety disorders experience excessive fear. They may feel like they have a gun to the temple, even for relatively minor threats.

In Obsessed, the patients exhibit repetitive habits that help them to cope with anxiety. In the season two premiere,a woman who feared getting fat spent hours every day on the treadmill and ate only once a day. Her behavior robbed her and her family of time together. Even when she was in the same room with her family, she was walking on the treadmill.

I was able to interview the therapist who treated the woman, Dr. Shana Doronn. Dr. Doronn explained that even though the woman was spending hours on the treadmill, she was not working out effectively. She could have gotten the same fitness benefits of exercise with a half hour workout, done correctly. Interview with Dr. Shana Doronn.

In treating the patient, Dr. Doronn firmly, but compassionately, limited her time on the treadmill. When the woman got off the treadmill after a half hour, she was very anxious and quivering. This exposure to lack of activity made the woman stop to think about what she was experiencing.

Over a period of several weeks, the patient improved. It was a big victory when she was able to sit down at the dinner table and eat alongside the family. The final victory of the show was she the entire family went camping, an activity that they had not been able to do because of her disease.

Obsessed tells the stories of people serious anxiety disorders and documents their progress with treatment. The series can help promote understanding of the condition. The show explains the condition and shows the view what treatment for this mental health condition looks like.

Obsessed debuts new episodes on Monday nights, following Intervention, on A&E cable television.

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