Comments on: Episode 117: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – An Interview with Bobbi

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 10:47:39 +0000

Interesting comment Jim. The difference I think between the examples you provide and what we’re thinking about is that the name of the disorder, OCD, is often mentioned directly. For example, in the (now quite old) example from Saturday Night Live, the skits were identified as “The Obsessive Compulsive Fishman”, “The Obsessive Compulsive Chef”, etc. I doubt there are are comedy skits in which the main character is clearly identified as suffering from depression or anorexia.

By: Jim Davies

Jim Davies — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:44:07 +0000

You two wonder why OCD is okay to make fun of compared to other disorders, but I doubt the existence of the phenomenon you’re trying to explain.

You seem to take characters straightening pictures on the wall as making fun of OCD, but you don’t count mild versions of other disorders as evidence of making fun of those disorders.

For example, (in the media) if someone is sad all the time, would you count that as making fun of depression?

If someone keeps taking things the wrong way, does that count as making fun of paranoia?

If someone is always happy, is that making fun of mania?

If they eat a lot, does that mean they’re making fun of an eating disorder?

My point is that if you look at most character traits in fiction, the extreme of that trait is probably a disorder in the DSM.

So when you say there is a bias regarding OCD, make sure you’re being fair.

Could it be that your interviewee was suffering from the availability heuristic?

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:25:41 +0000

I have been thoroughly enjoying your podcast–thank you for putting it together! Just a comment about something Bobbi said about TV shows not making fun other syndromes, such as autism, like they do OCD. It brought to mind the regular character on the comedy Boston Legal. He was a lawyer with Aspergers syndrome. He was portrayed as very quirky, sensitive and very effective as a lawyer. All wrapped in the comedic sense of the program. I must admit it raised my awareness of Aspergers and that people with it can be very functional. Since then, I have been drawn to read books by Temple Grandin.

By: Interview With Dr. Marla Deibler, Therapist Featured on “Hoarders”

Interview With Dr. Marla Deibler, Therapist Featured on “Hoarders” — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:01:41 +0000

[...] Episode 117: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – An Interview (thepsychfiles.com) [...]

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:38:23 +0000

Fabrice: you must have been one of the first people to download the episode. Another listener got in touch with me about how distracting it was to have me in one ear and Bobbi in another. I usually create mono audio files, but I forgot to at first with this one. I corrected. However, I like your idea about a possible episode here….:)

By: Fabrice

Fabrice — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:00:11 +0000

Michael,

I listen to your podcast (quite religiously, I might add), and today, I was listening to this episode on a stereo headset. As it turns out, when you cut over to your phone conversation with Bobbi, my brain went crazy listening to each side on the conversation in a different ear. In fact, it felt so distracting for the conversation to be switching back and forth from left to right that I had a difficult time paying attention.

Perhaps another interesting brain artifact to research…

–F.

By: Bebe

Bebe — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:50:58 +0000

Andrea Fay Friedman has a sense of humor about her disability.

There are other mental disorders that are displayed in the media. A big one is the US of Tara, a woman and her family learning to cope with DID with humor and hope.

And on the other hand, there are plenty of disorders that are not in mainstream media, so it could be argued that OCD gets more attention and people are more likely to be more empathetic to persons with that particular disorder.