Season 2 Premiere Episode Review
Watch OBSESSED on Monday Nights at 10 PM EST Starting on June 28th on A&E
June 24, 2010
By Lena Lamoray
A&E OBSESSED OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE: A&E Presents ALL NEW SEASONS OF SIGNATURE Monday night nonfiction series back-to-back on June 28 Emmy-winning “intervention” unveils ninth season at 9PM ET/PT acclaimed series “Obsessed” returns for a second season at 10pm et/pt The second season of “Obsessed,” will feature some of the most compelling stories to date including: a father of two whose overwhelming obsession with odd numbers has left him jobless, living out of his car and unable to function on odd numbered days; a father and his two grown daughters who suffer from agoraphobia and who are all attempting to break the family “curse” which prevents them from being able to venture more than a few miles from the safety of their homes; a musician whose life is completely consumed by hand motion rituals that can take up to 10 hours to complete; a recovered alcoholic whose fear of contamination is so extreme that he washes his hands up to 150 times a day and lives in fear that another alcoholic will contaminate him and cause him to return to drinking; and a young budding artist who believes that her checking, tapping and counting rituals are currently keeping her mother from dying of cancer. “Obsessed” takes viewers inside the minds and lives of Americans whose anxiety has taken complete command of their existence. Individuals whose loved ones have witnessed the disorder take them prisoner, living at the mercy of their uncontrollable thoughts and ritualistic behaviors. From OCD, to agoraphobia and germophobia, these disorders trigger from an emotionally traumatic event and eventually snowball until the individual is a shadow of their former self. The series documents both their afflictions and their courageous attempts to defeat and overcome them. Highly trained therapists use desensitatization and exposure therapy, whereby the patients are increasingly exposed to what causes their anxiety until the feelings begin to fade. Viewers will be moved as patients heal, make amazing progress and slowly but surely, take their lives back.
OBSESSED SEASON 2 PREMIERE EPISODE REVIEW
In this premiere episode of OBSESSED we meet Graham and Cindee. Cindee is an over exerciser and it is having a detrimental effect on every aspect of her life. Cindee discusses what drove her down this desolate treadmill paved road and how she desperately wants assistance before she loses everything. Her ultimate goal is to reconnect with her family and be able to participate in all their activities and even the small things that seem so trivial to us, such as being able to finally sit down together and actually enjoy a meal are seemingly unattainable to people that suffer with this disorder. Cindee is being held captive by her fear of gaining weight and with the help of cognitive behavior therapy she is working towards a better existence.
Graham has contamination OCD and is plagued by constantly needing to wash his hands upwards of 150 times a day and can take up to ten showers in a day. The term OCD is thrown around so much in today’s society that you underestimate the severity of what someone who truly suffers from it goes through. Graham talks about his past drug addictions and how now he can’t come in contact with anyone he deems as unclean because he feels that they will contaminate him. He struggles with his disorder daily and obsessively cleans himself and his surroundings. Graham is taken out and exposed to stressor to help him get his life back on track.
One thing is clear from both of these cases is that people with disorders should not be afraid to seek help. No one should feel as though that their life is hopeless. There is help for everyone, you just need to want it and then be willing to work your way towards a better future. Watch OBSESSED on A&E Monday nights at 10 PM EST beginning June 28th.