A&E Network has given the greenlight to the new original Real-Life series, "Obsessed," exploring the world of individuals debilitated by extreme anxiety disorders, including Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, panic disorder and various phobias, it was announced today by Robert Sharenow, Senior Vice President of Nonfiction and Alternative Programming, A&E Network and BIO.
A&E has ordered eleven, one-hour episodes. "Obsessed" is currently in production and slated for premiere in the second-half of 2009.
"Like our Emmy®-nominated series 'Intervention,' 'Obsessed' balances intense human drama with redemption," said Sharenow. "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."
According to the Anxiety Disorder Association of America, Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older. "Obsessed" examines the lives of everyday people imprisoned by debilitating fear and sometimes unmanageable, repetitive behaviors. The show explores the stories of sufferers as well as the adverse effects their disorder has on their friends and family. Each participant will undergo a highly successful form of cognitive behavioral therapy that forces them to expose themselves to the sources of their greatest anxiety in an attempt to manage their fears.
Each one-hour episode of "Obsessed" explores two individual cases where the subjects face debilitating extreme anxiety disorders, their struggle and the process of rehabilitation. Whether it is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, General Anxiety Disorder or a variety of phobias, the unscripted series gives viewers a chance to see first-hand how an obsession can radically affects a person's life. "Obsessed" not only captures the particulars of the condition but sees the subject through the incredible emotion of therapy and one-on-one sessions with the therapist. By using cognitive behavioral therapy, each subject is taught how to understand their thought process which contributes to symptoms and how to change thought patterns, manage their anxiety and avoid the debilitating compulsions. The series then revisits each subject after several weeks of treatment to see if the obsession lingers.
"Obsessed" is produced for A&E by Tijuana Entertainment ("The Two Coreys," "Shooting Sizemore") by executive producers Troy Searer and John Foy. Also executive producing for Tijuana is Rob LePlante. A&E Executive Producers are Robert Sharenow and Scott Lonker.
