Get to know OCD

ERP therapy is different from what most people imagine. Instead of just talking about fears, it helps people with OCD gradually face the thoughts, situations, and sensations they’ve been avoiding. In this video, NOCD therapists Barbara Windeknecht and Alexi Pyles explain what that looks like in real life — from contamination exposures and “just right” OCD to emetophobia, social anxiety, and phobia...

When Molly was a teenager, a single intrusive thought sent her into years of fear, panic, and silence. What started as one terrifying “what if?” quickly spiraled into constant doubts about who she was, what her thoughts meant, and whether she was secretly a horrible person. In this episode of the Get to Know OCD podcast, Molly opens up about living with pedophilia OCD — a taboo thought she hid for...

One of the hardest parts of OCD is that compulsions rarely feel irrational in the moment — they feel responsible. Checking the stove again, replaying a conversation, researching symptoms, repeating a ritual “just in case.” Over time, OCD convinces you that these behaviors are the reason nothing bad has happened yet, which makes stopping them feel reckless, selfish, or even dangerous. In this video...

Ciara Parsons thought she was just anxious, overly cautious, or a little superstitious. But underneath all of it was OCD — constantly forcing her to imagine every possible thing that could go wrong and making her feel responsible for preventing it. Whether it was flying on planes, going on tour, becoming a mother, or simply leaving the house, her brain treated every situation like a potential disa...

For a long time, OCD made life feel overwhelming and exhausting until Cody Fournier finally found a type of treatment that actually worked. What started as his own search for relief turned into something much bigger. After experiencing firsthand what it’s like to come out the other side, he realized he wanted to help other people do the same. In this video, Cody shares how his journey with OCD led...

Kerry Osborn believed her OCD was helping her — giving her a sense of control in situations that felt uncertain and overwhelming. What started after a traumatic experience slowly turned into a system of rules, rituals, and “if I do this, then nothing bad will happen” thinking that took over more and more of her life. It didn’t feel irrational at the time. It felt necessary. In this episode, Kerry...

OCD flare-ups can feel random, like something just flipped overnight, but when you look closer, there’s usually a build-up. A stressful week, bad sleep, a life change, even something small that threw off your routine. In this video, Dr. Patrick McGrath walks through the patterns behind those spikes and why OCD tends to show up strongest when your system is already under pressure. At NOCD, we speci...

Alyssa Lentz had enough of OCD interfering with her life personally so she never imagined treating it professionally. Like many therapists, her early training barely scratched the surface of what it actually takes to treat OCD effectively. But after pursuing specialized training and surrounding herself with others doing the same work, everything started to click. In this episode, Alyssa shares wha...

You might think OCD compulsions are easy to spot — things like checking, washing, or repeating actions. But many compulsions happen entirely in your head, making them much harder to recognize. From mentally reviewing conversations to trying to “cancel out” bad thoughts or reassure yourself that everything is okay, these invisible habits can quietly keep OCD going without you even realizing it. In...

OCD doesn’t just affect how you think, it can take over how you spend your time. What starts as a few minutes of checking, cleaning, or mental reassurance can quickly turn into hours lost every single day. Add that up every day for years, and you start to realize — OCD isn’t just taking your time, it’s taking your life. In this video, Dr. Patrick McGrath breaks down why OCD's time-consuming patter...

Contamination OCD is NOT just about germs. It can also show up as something far less obvious — like “bad energy,” negative emotions, or even traits you don’t want being transferred from one person or place to another. It's what we call emotional contamination. In this video, Dr. Patrick McGrath explains how this form of OCD works, why it can make everyday situations feel unsafe, and how that sense...

When Alessandra Rizzotti first started her therapy career, OCD was barely covered in her training — just a brief mention, without much depth or real guidance on how to treat it. Like many therapists, she had experience with approaches like CBT and DBT, but didn’t truly understand how OCD works or how often it gets missed, misdiagnosed, or treated the wrong way. In this episode, Alessandra shares h...

William Schultz knew what he was supposed to do to treat his OCD — and still couldn’t do it. He understood ERP, understood the logic behind it, and understood that avoiding his fears was keeping the cycle going. But... every time it came down to actually facing those fears, William would back down. For years. Until he realized OCD wasn’t going anywhere on its own. In this episode, William walks th...

Washing your hands, cleaning your home, and being mindful about germs — all of that can be good hygiene. But at what point does it cross the line into being OCD? It's not always clear, and OCD feeds off that thin line. In this video, Dr. Patrick McGrath breaks down how to tell the difference between normal hygiene and compulsive behaviors driven by fear. He explains why OCD often pushes people to...

Hair pulling, skin picking, nail biting — these aren’t just “bad habits.” They’re known as body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), and for many people, they feel nearly impossible to stop. But it is possible, and there’s actually research to prove it. Dr. Jamie Feusner and Clare Beatty have studied BFRB, and they’re here to break down what the science shows. They explain why these behaviors dev...

Have you ever had a fear that felt completely real, even when you knew it most likely wasn’t? John Green has. In this video, John shares how OCD fears can blur the line between thoughts and reality, and why no amount of reassurance ever feels like enough. He opens up about the constant checking and excessive googling that once consumed hours of his day, and why trying to “logic away” his fear neve...

Most people think OCD treatment is just about exposure, but... that’s only part of the story. The real change happens when you stop doing the compulsions and safety behaviors that keep you stuck. In this episode, Dr. Patrick McGrath shares practical ways to approach therapy differently — fromwhat it means to sit with discomfort without trying to fix it to how your response in those moments is what...

OCD doesn’t just affect one person, it can quietly take over an entire household. What starts as small accommodations to reduce anxiety can turn into daily routines shaped around OCD, pulling parents and family members into cycles of reassurance, avoidance, and accommodation that keep the disorder in full control. In this episode, Marni Jacob, a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating OC...

Cody Fournier was serving in the military when OCD began to consume his thoughts. The taboo thoughts were intense and confusing, but what scared him just as much was the idea of anyone finding out. In that environment, where strength and reliability matter so much, he worried that admitting what he was going through could change how people saw him — or even threaten the career he had worked hard f...

Author and YouTuber John Green sits down with Dr. Patrick McGrath, NOCD’s Chief Clinical Officer, to answer the internet’s most-asked questions about OCD, including: • How do you ask for help when your intrusive thoughts feel too shameful to talk about? • Why do intrusive thoughts feel so real? • What’s the most important thing someone with OCD should know? ...and more. John also shares how OCD tr...

Did you know the correct kind of OCD treatment doesn’t just change how you feel, it can actually change how your brain responds to fear. Yes, it's true and in this video, Dr. Patrick McGrath explains why. This isn’t meant to be a science lesson, but rather a simple explanation of what’s happening in the brain when someone begins effective OCD treatment like exposure and response prevention therapy...

Lauren Rosen’s OCD didn’t always look like the compulsions people expect. Much of it was happening entirely in her mind. For years, she found herself trapped in endless mental loops — replaying conversations, questioning her thoughts, and trying to “figure out” whether something meant she had done something wrong. Because these compulsions were invisible, it took a long time to recognize that the...

Most therapists graduate with little to no formal training in OCD — and almost none in exposure and response prevention (ERP), the gold-standard treatment. That gap matters. People with OCD often spend 14 to 17 years in the wrong kind of therapy before getting effective care. In this episode, we walk through exactly how NOCD trains clinicians to become true OCD specialists. Joining us are NOCD's o...

It started with a simple moment. Lunch. A new romantic relationship. Feeling good about the future. Then a thought slipped in: what if I have an STD and just don’t know it? That’s how OCD entered Will Schultz’s life. What began as one intrusive question quickly spiraled into fears of HIV, contaminated needles, rabies, and eventually a deep distrust of his own memory and senses. On this episode of...

Author John Green couldn’t write. NOCD Co-founder and CEO Stephen Smith could barely leave his house. Both were suffering from OCD without proper treatment. In fact, 95% of Americans with OCD aren’t receiving the most effective treatment. In this interview with Dr. Patrick McGrath, John and Stephen explain how real OCD goes far beyond the stereotypes about neatness or organization, and the consequ...