ExclusiveThe Hidden Emotion Behind Obsessive Compulsion｜Vital Signs

“Quirky behaviors,” like color-coding your sock or underwear drawer, are certainly common. For many, they have a self-soothing effect, coming more to the fore in times of pressure. However, it’s the intensity of such behaviors that distinguish them as obsessive compulsive, says Philadelphia clinical psychologist, Jessica Russo Psy.D.

It’s also often deep-seated emotional drivers, namely shame, that are at play when someone meets the diagnostic criteria of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), she says.

“There’s a real focus on making a mistake. I’ve made a mistake. It’s a horrible mistake, catastrophizing … this is where the compulsions come in.”

“I’ve disappointed someone, I’ve compromised someone. There’s a lot of shame that we see in OCD,” Russo adds.

Russo has decades of experience in treating a range of mental health issues, including addiction, anxiety, and depression. On “Vital Signs,” she highlights methods of shedding the shame and other “stuck” emotions that may underlie OCD.

“Particularly with men walking down the street, she would look at their crotches all the time,” she says of a patient in her 60s whose OCD traits were intertwined with her sexuality—she’d been sexually abused as a child.

“You have to get them to this place where they feel safe enough to be with these thoughts and feelings. So being truthful with oneself, being honest, that’s the very first thing,” adds Russo, emphasizing the primacy of truthfulness in her therapeutic approach.

On “Vital Signs,” we separate the facts from the “Hollywood fiction” of OCD and illuminate non-drug paths to resolving its underlying factors.

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Vital Signs’ host, guests, and contributors offer general information on improving health and wellness. This is not intended as diagnosis or medical advice. You should consult your medical doctor or holistic doctor before enacting any suggested strategies for health and wellness improvement, including those in relation to preventing or treating specific diseases featured on this program.