Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Scrubs

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)• OCD is a condition that affects people of all ages and occurs when a

person becomes stuck in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions.

Obsessions • Obsessions are thoughts or images that uncontrollably become stuck

in a persons mind causing them a great amount of stress and anxiety.

Compulsions • Compulsions are actions that a person with OCD feels they have to do in order to relieve the distress caused by the obsessions.

Example

Obsessions

• Fear of failing

• Fear of germs

Compulsions

• Reading the same text book over and over again• Washing your hands

repeatedly

Media

Scrubs

Scrubs• Scrubs revolves around Dr. John Dorian (JD) and his comically fictional

life working at Sacred Heart hospital. • Other main characters include Dr. Turk, who is a surgeon and JD’s

uncommonly close best friend, and Dr. Cox, an egotistical, “borderline alcoholic” who is constantly annoyed by JD just about every day.

Connection to OCD• One episode of scrubs features a visiting doctor named Dr. Kevin

Casey, portrayed by Michael J. Fox.• Dr. Casey has severe OCD.

Dr. Casey touching everything in his patients room.

Casey’s compulsionsDr. Casey shows many compulsions throughout the episode including:• Turning a light switch on and off several times.• Having to place a coaster on top of his beer every time he takes a drink. • Touching everything in his patients room the first time he enters it. • Washing his hands over and over again.

OCD involves a cycle in which a person’s mind becomes stuck on an image or thought that cause them distress, which is the obsession portion of the condition. The result of the obsessive thoughts are the compulsions in which a person feels they need to do in order to relieve the distress of the thoughts or images which is what Dr. Casey is seen doing during the episode. Although the episode does not explain the obsessive thoughts he has, Dr. Casey’s compulsions very clearly show the severity of OCD.

The affect of Dr. Casey’s OCD• Although his condition is severe, Dr. Casey explains how he was able

to make it in medicine by embracing his compulsions to do things like reading the same text books and reviewing the same procedures over and over again.

The Affect of Dr. Casey’s OCDThe end of the episode really shows the kind of struggle a person with OCD goes through. Dr. Casey is shown angry and frustrated while washing his hands saying to JD “I’m tired and I’m fried. All I want to do is go home, but here’s the punch line, even though my last surgery was two hours ago I can’t stop washing my damn hands.”

• It’s true that individuals with OCD are frequently struggling with every day things because their compulsions often hold them back from the things they need to do, such as not being able to go home because they can’t stop washing their hands or because they can’t stop turning a light switch on and off.

My take• I think Scrubs did a good job expressing the severity of OCD. Although

I do think it would have shown the reality of the mental condition better had they explained what some of Dr. Casey’s Obsessive thoughts and/or images were. However, the compulsions that Dr. Casey experiences during the episode do a sufficiently accurate job showing what OCD can look like on the outside and what the struggles of it can be like for a person.