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.
Cindee is obsessed with exercise and spends many unhealthy hours on the treadmill, at the gym, or with her free weights, leaving little time for her family. Graham fears contamination and washes his hands up to 150 times a day, damaging his relationship with his wife and child. Can Cognitive Behavior Therapy help them repair their broken families?
Chad, a rock musician, is plagued with performing rituals that take up most of his waking hours. He fears that if he doesn't perform his rituals correctly, something terrible will happen to him or his family. Nicole is obsessed with thoughts of her daughter getting kidnapped or dying. Chad and Nicole hope to overcome their overwhelming fears through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Sharon obsessively taps and counts and suffers several major panic attacks a week. She believes her rituals protect her cancer-stricken mother. Meanwhile, Patricia constantly fears that she'll die a sudden death from heart attack or stroke, or that she'll get a deadly illness. She's afraid of hospitals, which makes it impossible to support her husband as he gets treatment for his multiple sclerosis. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Sharon and Patricia will try to face--and conquer--their terrible fears.
Al and his two daughters, Tammy and Jodi, each suffer from agoraphobia. Al has been virtually homebound for 30 years. Tammy is afraid of leaving her 20-mile safe zone. And for Jodi, the problem is literally a matter of life and death--she can't go over a bridge she needs to cross to get desperately needed medical care for her son. Can Cognitive Behavioral Therapy help them regain control of their lives?
Mark obsessively taps and counts, believing that it protects his family from harm and even death. Sarihn obsessively cleans her kitchen and bathroom to get rid of germs, particularly bodily fluids, and wears black latex gloves in public. Her OCD has cost her a music career, and keeps her from having an intimate relationship with her boyfriend. Working with a therapist, Mark and Sarihn will try to defeat their demons.
Margaret, a mother of a terminally ill child, has become debilitated from extensive tapping compulsions and a fear of food contamination. She eats only an apple every two days, and recently had a heart attack. Meanwhile, Amy is a perfectionist whose cleaning rituals take precedence over taking care of her son. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, widely described as the most effective treatment for OCD, Margaret and Amy will try to get the better of their fears.
William obsessively counts, fears odd numbers, and suffers from germophobia. His OCD has resulted in two failed marriages, unemployment, and homelessness. Nanci is obsessed with cleaning, and scours her bathroom 4-5 times a day. Her OCD was triggered by three tragic deaths in her family. Working with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, William and Nanci will try to overcome the fixations that have ruined their lives.
Paul constantly checks his stove and electrical outlets because he's afraid they may start a fire and kill everyone in his apartment complex. The problem has all but ended his promising musical career. Meanwhile, Robin spends up to 20 hours a day cleaning her house, and even gets her husband and children to join her. Through therapy, Paul will try to rebuild his music career, and Robin will try to restore her family's well being.
Rashawndalynn began to worry about disease and death after a doctor found pre-cancerous cells in her body. Her constant state of panic has led to the loss of her job, and she and her son will become homeless if she doesn't receive treatment. Melody is terrified of getting a fatal food-borne illness, which prevents her from living on her own at college. Through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Melody will be exposed to the foods she's afraid of most so she can separate her rational fear of disease from her irrational fear of food.
Phillip is obsessed with cleanliness, yard work, and organization. His OCD makes it almost impossible to spend time with his two children because he's afraid of the messes that kids make. Phillip has to beat his OCD so that his children can have the father they need. Meanwhile, Kerrie's fear of germs is so extreme that she can't be touched by other people. She's never had a boyfriend and has no friends. Kerrie hopes to manage her OCD so she can one day allow her mother to hug her.