A&E orders 'Obsessed'

Building on its brand of gritty, documentary-style reality series, A&E Network has ordered a show exploring extreme anxiety disorders.

The network has ordered 11 hours of "Obsessed," which chronicles individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder and other phobias.

"Like our Emmy-nominated series 'Intervention,' 'Obsessed' balances intense human drama with redemption," said Robert Sharenow, senior vp alternative at A&E. "The series will take a raw, honest and emotional look at the world of anxiety disorders while offering those who suffer a path to recovery."

"Obsessed" is in production; A&E plans to premiere the show in the second half of the year.

Each one-hour episode will feature two cases showing how the disorder affects the person's life and the process of rehabilitation using cognitive behavioral therapy, where the subject is taught how to manage the anxiety.

Such disorders affect 40 million adults in the U.S., according to the Anxiety Disorder Association of America.

Comments

[Cara Erdheim]

As someone who suffered from severe OCD as a child, and as an avid Intervention viewer, I am thrilled about this upcoming series. My goal is to write a book about my personal experiences someday, as there's been little written about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

I suffer with OCD and mostly with horrific obsessive thoughts. These thoughts literally ruined my high school and young adult years. I am missing parts of my life that i can't get back. I have never met anyone who has had obsessive thoughts quite like mine and i am so excited that by watching this program i may feel somewhat "normal" again.