Shopping, gambling, football, sex 聳 what's your obsession?
Obsessions,
starts 31 July, 大象传媒 ONE
Many
of us can be captivated by a certain something, but millions of
people world-wide are literally overpowered by their obsessions.
In
this powerful new series, 大象传媒 ONE takes a closer look at this fascinating
subject and considers some of the scientific treatments currently
being explored.
While
some obsessions can bring us pleasure and happiness others can bring
nothing but heartache.
The
series reveals what drives some people to take the human pursuits
of happiness, thrill seeking and fantasy to extremes, and why others
are disabled by persistent fears and endless rituals.
Programme
One - Who's Normal Anyway
One
million people in Britain and six million people in America suffer
from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), the second most common
mental illness after depression.
Programme
One, Who's Normal Anyway, looks at this debilitating illness and
talks to people who have learnt to cope with the intrusive frightening
thoughts and images which plague them.
Bob
has lived in New York all his life, but for the past 30 years nobody
has been allowed into his apartment.
Like
one in two million Americans, Bob has a hoarding disorder; whatever
comes into his apartment never leaves it.
Is
he beyond help? Shirley, also a hoarder, might be Bob's saving grace.
She is part of a "mentoring" scheme that puts hoarders
in contact with each other in order to offer support and encouragement.
Will
she be able to help Bob start the huge task of throwing things out?
Stephanie
has contamination fears, checking rituals and number rituals but
since the birth of her son Jake, her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
(OCD) has turned into a fear of her child being harmed or kidnapped.
She
literally cannot take her eyes off him and knows that without help
she could ruin his life as well as her own.
Liz's
hidden secret is a cousin to the OCD family; since the age of 12
she has been pulling the hair out from the top of her head and eating
the roots 聳 she suffers from trichotillomania.
Having
tried every kind of therapy to stop, she resorts to the unconventional
聳 a hair-piece and hypnotherapy.
Claire's
OCD is so extreme that she has asked for extreme measures to be
taken to end her crippling disease.
She
is one of 30% of people who won聮t improve with behavioural
treatment so has turned to Professor Nuttin of the University of
Leuvin in Belgium, who is pioneering a deep brain stimulation treatment
on her.
Will
this finally cure her of her 18 hour a day washing obsession?
Programme
Two - Seeking Perfection
We
all like to collect things but for some people it becomes an obsession.
We can all be concerned about the way we look, but some people take
it a bit more seriously than others.
Programme
Two, Seeking Perfection, looks at what happens when a pastime becomes
an obsession and why the pursuit of pleasure can sometimes get out
of control.
Gary
is so obsessed with his football team he hasn't missed a match in
27 years.
From
the age of 11 Sunderland FC has become a way of life for him. Even
his wedding won't be allowed to interfere with a big match.
Theodore
is a gambler. His happiness relies on a visit to the casino to play
the slot machines.
He
has turned to medical science to tackle head on his obsession with
"lady luck".
Is
there something in the way his brain works that makes him and other
people like him, unable to control the pursuit of his pleasures?
Rosemary
can't stop shopping, but when her spending frenzies began to spin
out of control, 32 cars and three Steinway pianos later, this lead
to spectacular fraud and she knew she had to seek help.
Edwin
is a man with two obsessions, women's shoes and masturbation. He
has over 90 pairs of shoes and spends most of his life coming to
terms with aspects of his sexuality.
Jennifer
is so unhappy with her own reflection that she has spent her life
obsessing over other people.
She
will fix on another woman and start to dress identically and act
the same way. Thoughts of what it would be like to be them pre-occupy
her mind 24 hours a day.
Desire
and jealousy are only two of the emotions she must battle against.
Can her obsession be stopped?
Cat
Man's body is covered in stripes, his ears have been pointed his
lip cut, his nose fattened, whiskers implanted and his teeth pointed,
all to make himself look more like a cat.
Where
will his obsession with his identity end?
To
find our more about the science behind obsessions visit .
Are
you in control of your urges? Can聮t stop chewing your fingers
or popping out for some retail therapy? Take our test to discover
what your habits say about you.
Obsessions
is a 大象传媒 Science production for 大象传媒 ONE. Series Producer is Dinah
Lord and Executive Producer is Michael Moseley.
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