Obsessed

Helen is a single mother of three who suffers from OCD, which is making a nightmare of her life. Her anxiety was heightened when she lost her father in a car accident. She feels anxiety while driving her car and feels a need to put on her father's bloodied clothes he died in. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Helen will face her fears and come to terms with her dad's death. Meanwhile, Scott can not let a trash can inside his home, no pictures on his walls, will wash his hands 50 times each day and sleeps on a sofa so that he won't need to make his bed each day. This germaphobe must face his fears through CBT so hopefully he will no longer need to live his life alone.

Nicole has an incredibly unique type of obsession that keeps her from being able to enjoy time with her mother and brother. If their hands aren't the way she wants them to be, she has a panic attack. And when her mother says any word with a "K" sound, Nicole has to make a strange noise with her throat. Meanwhile, Trina has constant violent thoughts that torment her, such as "Could I hurt my best friend?" and "What if I harmed that man?" These horrible thoughts pop into her head with such consistency that she's begun to believe they could come true. Nicole and Trina hope that cognitive behavioral therapy can help them deal with their problems.

Christa's OCD prevents her from eating most foods for fear they are contaminated. To ease her anxiety, she spends hours in front of the mirror with a pair of tweezers ruthlessly tearing into her skin, mostly her face. Christa is completely reliant upon her fiancé Shawn, but he doesn't know how much more he can take. She is afraid that she'll end up dead or homeless because no one will want to deal with her anymore. Meanwhile, Ryan feels like a slave to his OCD rituals of checking, tapping and counting. His morning routine is riddled with grooming rituals around showering, getting ready, and leaving the house. He even makes his pregnant wife participate in his compulsions. Through cognitive behavioral therapy, Christa and Ryan will try to overcome their obsessions.

Russ is an extreme hoarder. He has completely filled up his apartment, forcing him to sleep outside. He's also afraid that the Fire Department will come to his house and he won't be able to clean enough in time to pass inspection. If this happens, Russ fears he'll become homeless. Meanwhile, Karen is plagued by her obsessive thoughts about death. She is constantly afraid that either she or someone she loves will die in an earthquake, in a car accident, or be brutally attacked. Russ and Karen hope cognitive behavioral therapy will help them to regain their lives.

Nidia obsessively washes herself and has been hospitalized twice due to her OCD. Her shower ritual is so extreme that there's a possibility she could pass out in the middle of it. Her problem has taken over her life and her husband's life as well, and is threatening their marriage. Meanwhile, Rick fears death and aging. His obsessive workouts reduce his anxieties about death, but they've made it impossible for him to get on with his life. Both Nidia and Rick hope CBT can help them gain control over their fixations.

Shannon is a hypochondriac with an intense fear of death. She avoids driving on the freeway for fear she'll spontaneously combust or go blind. Through CBT, Shannon will try to overcome her dread of driving so she can take her autistic child to a ranch for kids with special needs. Meanwhile, Todd has an obsessive compulsion to pull out his own hair. He spends his days writing obsessive thoughts on the walls and pulling hairs off his face and head. CBT is his last hope.

Traci struggles with both germaphobia and claustrophobia. She is constantly cleaning and is frightened to get on an elevator. She can't even enjoy home-cooked meals without fearing illness. Meanwhile, Judi is a hoarder. Losing her father at an early age, getting divorced, and having her only son leave home have caused an emptiness in her life that she tries to fill by accumulating piles of clutter. Traci and Judi hope that CBT will help them lead more normal lives.

Mandi is a costume designer for a TV series, but she doesn't have hair. Mandi began pulling her hair out when she was nine. She wears wigs, but her ability to hide her bald patches only increases her pulling episodes. Meanwhile, Mora constantly brushes and cleans her teeth. If her anxiety is raised during the day, she'll call her dentist to schedule an emergency appointment, which has resulted in eight root canals in the last several years. Even her eating habits are influenced by the damage certain foods could potentially do to her teeth. Mora's OCD contributed to her impending divorce and she fears that if she doesn't gain control over it soon, it could negatively impact her 7 year-old daughter. Both Mandi and Mora are at the end of their rope, and hope that CBT can help them find their way back.

Marie is obsessed with the weight of objects. She's afraid that the things in her apartment are getting too heavy, that the floor is weakening, and that the building will collapse, crushing her and her daughter. Meanwhile, Matt is agoraphobic with severe panic disorder. He's built his life around a "safe zone," which is near his home. When he drives, he fears that he won't be able to get back to his safe zone fast enough. Both Marie and Matt will now try to control their fears through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

AJ needs a service dog ("Sparky") to help manage her anxiety and panic attacks. But AJ can't stop her OCD mind from bombarding her with horrific images of animal abuse. Another coping mechanism AJ uses is compulsively tweezing out her eyebrows. In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, AJ will go to an animal shelter to confront her obsessive thoughts about animal cruelty. Meanwhile, Vanessa has a compulsion to pick her skin. At one time, she actually picked clear through to her jawbone. But Vanessa recently connected with a woman online, and now she's preparing to meet her new girlfriend for the first time. Knowing she needs to manage her picking for the relationship to work, Vanessa is highly motivated to begin CBT.

Richie is an extreme hoarder who can't throw away anything that belongs to his deceased mother. As he grieves her loss, he's even blocked off the hallway to his mother's bedroom, making the room inaccessible. In the longest therapy process of the entire season (approximately one year,) his therapist pushes and helps Richie as he tries to fight through his emotions.