165. OCD: Why Your Therapy Might Be Making It Worse

 Dr. Roger McFillin challenges everything we think we know about OCD treatment, arguing that many standard approaches aren't just ineffective – they're actively harmful. He delivers a scathing critique of the mental health establishment's reliance on SSRIs and traditional talk therapy, suggesting that what's often labeled "treatment-resistant" OCD might actually be the result of incompetent treatment. McFillin controversially reframes OCD not as a brain disorder, but as an evolutionary adaptation that can become problematic in certain contexts. He exposes two critical processes that most treatments miss – thought-action fusion and intolerance of uncertainty – while arguing that trying to suppress or control intrusive thoughts through medication paradoxically reinforces the very mechanisms that maintain OCD. Challenging the medical establishment's view, McFillin suggests our culture's obsession with pathologizing normal human experiences has created a fear of our own minds that makes OCD worse, while offering hope that recovery is possible with the right approach.