I never had OCD, but have experienced people living with it. Being afraid to do basic things in your life such as shaking hands, being afraid of certain foods and surroundings that everyday people would find trivial seems like torture to me - almost like a constant rain cloud hanging over your head during every aspect of your life.

I hope continuous research on this topic unveils what more can be done to give people with OCD a happier way of living.

I have a relative with OCD>since childhood. It has many different faces besides fear of germs. Having to touch a certain object a certain amount of times, having a 'fear thought' stuck in your head for hours, having to do 'rituals' just right or start them over, its tragic. The drugs are often a last desperate resort. I am glad they are doing this show, it should help thousands.

I am looking forward to this show. I don't think I have ocd, but at certain times I feel the need to 'check' things a lot. Dr. Oz always brings his A game. Thanks!

I wonder if PTSD could cause some OCD or is OCD something you just have? I was in a car accident and since I always have sequences of imagined events going through my mind while I ride or drive in cars. For instance yesterday while riding on the highway there was a car pulling a trailer. On it was a washing machine and the door was blowing up and down with the wind. I kept imagining it flying off and through our or someone else's windshield. I have this until we are past the vehicle then there will be a new one. A truck hauling metal pipes. I think one might come loose and spear through a car. It goes away when we pass the truck. My car accident had nothing to do with any of these things but still every time I am going anywhere I imagine some dangerous thing. Maybe I am just nuts, maybe it is not OCD but it is repeated over and over in my mind till we are past the vehicle and I can actually see it happening in my mind. Am I the only one like this/ I haven't told anyone I see this stuff but I did have treatment for PTSD.

Hi, I do have OCD and it is an HORRIBLE HORRIBLE disease. So, I am always happy when there is a TV show on this subject because many people may recognized themselves as OCD sufferers and then seek some help. I tried cognitive and behavior therapies for some time with little results. My psychologist told me I should take some medication. First I refused to take pills - I wanted to get better "by myself". It took me 1 year to finally accept to meet a psychiatrist. During that year the OCD got worse. I am now a lot better. Let's say that with both medication and therapy, my situation has improved by roughly 75% So my message is: if you are told you need medication, please at least try it. It may take some trials and errors to find the the right pills and the right dosage for you and it will take a few weeks before you will know if it is working for you but give it a try... I am still ashamed to have this sickness even if I know I shouldn't. Hopefully one day, OCD and other mental diseases will be better known and better accepted in the society. Shows like these are very important if we ever want to reach that goal. THANK YOU OPRAH.

Why Dr Oz? He's a cardiologist and as far as I know has no psychiatric credentials. OCD is a serious problem and needs to be addressed by a qualified specialist. In the past, Oprah has had one of the top experts on OCD on her show, Dr. David Tolin. I really hope he is going to be involved in this one and I really hope Dr. Oz has done his homework and realizes that the top treatment for OCD that is strongly supported by research is called exposure and response prevention. Dr. Tolin is an expert in this. I have concerns that Oz is going to try to inject yet more of his favorite new age therapies instead. I hope I'm wrong. Past life regression and acupuncture just won't cut it for OCD. Bring on Dr. Tolin, Oprah.

I agree. I hope Dr. Oz doesn't become the next Dr. Phil by suddenly becoming an expert on everything.

Dr. Oz, being a Cardiologist, explained in an early episode of Oprah that while going to medical school he was pretty much vigorously trained in all aspects of the human body...considering the heart effects many functions and organs of the body. Thats pretty much common sense. Why do you think he is always on those "Ask Dr. Oz" type theme shows with Oprah with people asking him every known question about the body known to man - ranging from menopause, cancer, weight...

Does that make him an expert on the specific topic of OCD? Maybe Not. But I'm willing to bet the farm he knows a lot more about it medically than I do, perhaps people with it, or most who make assumptions or who don't understand it.

My son has OCD so I am interested to watch this show regarding the OCD camp. I will be amazed if 72 hours does the trick to conquer OCD. He was diagnosed 4 years ago, although I believe he has had symptoms for several years prior to his diagnosis. His obsessions deal with germs. Stress and anxiety is what brought his OCD to a crisis level 4 years ago when he was 17 years old. He became depressed and almost unable to function in school or at home. He has had extensive therapy over the past 3 years, seeing both a psychiatrist and psychologist. The psychiatrist has treated him with medication and the psychologist has worked with him on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy. He will always struggle with OCD but his doctors have taught him how to function today which I am glad to say he is doing with great strength and hard work. The books that I have read and from what his doctors have said he will need "tune ups" on occasion with his doctors. Every time I see an article or television show regarding OCD I am thankful for the information, and hope that some day they can find a cure for OCD. There are many different facets of OCD and there are many different levels of the disorder. From what I understand there is no cure, but these "tools" that the CBT and Exposure therapy teaches him, will help him live with the disorder. One of the hardest issues for my son, is that he is embarrassed and does not want anyone to know, although I know that people who come in contact with him can pretty much figure out that he has something going on. It is a heartbreaking, extremely frustrating and exhausting disorder.

So I guess I find it hard to believe that 72 hours will conquer the disease. But I want to thank the Oprah Show for bringing more awareness to the disorder, and hope that people who come in contact with someone with OCD will be tolerant and understanding!

Why, why, why are they making Dr. Oz an expert on everything? Give the experts in their field their due and respect and quit the Dr. Oz miracle worker praise.

These problems are not easy to get over and a one hour show will not cover all the mental things that go on with these types of illnesses.

Thank you Oprah for doing a show on this very real illness. I have had OCD since I was 15 and thought I was going crazy until I learned what was wrong with me in my thirties. Now at age 53, I feel I am the most knowledgeable that I have ever been concerning my illness. Thankfully, with the right meds and the right therapist I have been in remission for a few years. But you never really know when OCD will rear it's ugly head again. There are many different obsessions and I hope that Dr. Oz touches on this. OCD CAN be managed and I hope that message will come across in the piece. Again, thank you!

Kathy,

Your reaction to your accident is normal and it's perfectly normal to be traumatized for a period of time. However, you need to pay close attention to how the trauma is affecting you and if you believe that your fearful thoughts and behaviors are negatively affecting your choices and lifestyle, then you really need to talk to a behavioral therapist who can teach you how to work through the trauma.

I haven't been in a car accident like you have. But, I saw a trailer come loose from a truck once and it almost hit me. Since that day, I am always paranoid about driving behind trucks hauling anything ( cars, windows, pipes, logs) and rightfully so! I always slow way down or I pass them. The reality is that our fear is reality based because we don't know who loaded the truck and if they took great care in doing so! But, if you almost cause an accident trying to escape from a truck like that, then your fear has become irrational and could be dangerous.

several years ago, my dog was hit by a drunk driver right in front of me. It was probably one of the most traumatizing events in my life and it took a good year or more before I could drive near that location on the road without falling into a horrible trance of terrifying sounds, images and thoughts. I almost wrecked many times in that trance. I knew I needed help and I did find it. My therapist didn't medicate me but he taught me that the most healing thing we can do is to keep moving, keep living our lives while making a conscious effort to replace the negative memories with happy ones. It was tough. The trauma is so much worse in situations where we lacked any control over the situation. It was difficult for me to accept that there was nothing I could do to prevent that incident. I kept focusing on what if, what if and to this day, I am terribly sensitive to seeing animals running loose near a road ( my heart pounds and I sometimes I gasp with fear) and I will stop and rescue them. But, there's nothing wrong with that as long as I don't do something to endanger my own life or anyone else's.

Although the experience was horrible I did learn a few things from it and I am a much wiser person today as I know you are. Hey, at the very least, you'll be a much better defensive driver and be able to avoid a much more serious accident in the future.

All the best, Liz

Honestly, as someone who is currently struggling with OCD, I am incredibly dissapointed that Dr. Oz is doing it. Couldn't they have found someone that isn't a cardiologist... I mean, granted, he may have training in a related field of psychology and so forth - but doesn't every doctor have training through med school and the like? I am sure Oprah has access to doctors with PhD's with all her connections.

I feel that is almost disrespectful.

While I am relieved that someone is on there that has intense food issues (I also have a fear that food is poison and have had to be tube fed many times as a result)... I just don't honestly think that 72 hours will be the cure-all. I have heard of therapies like this (and they have even been used to treat OCD) but seriously...

OCD is very real and I wish someone would cover it that doesn't glorify it (though, some coverage is better than none in most cases).