Rock Bottom

Wouldn't it be ironic if I got so addicted to "Obsessed" that I ended up on the show?

The episode I saw yesterday featured a woman who was almost literally scared shitless. So deep was her fecophobia, she ate as little as possible, with nary a nibble of a fruit or vegetable.

When she eventually did use the toilet, she'd spend hours in the shower afterwards, performing an elaborate ritual that involved an enema and a toothbrush* (Why the latter? "I can't get far enough inside with my fingers." Duh.) She'd keep at it until she bled, because she didn't feel truly clean otherwise. You know how it is.

At least they were able to help her. They struck out with the other subject, a man who wanted to live indefinitely because he was sure life in the future would be way cooler. He was attempting to achieve this by taking scads of supplements and darting into various gyms as many as 10 times a day for oddly brief workouts. Good luck, buddy. I'm sure they'll be wowed by your hair plugs in 2050.

Given my fascination with the topic, I was looking forward to the profile of the hoarder, but I watched it today and found it something of a letdown. No crazy cat lady, just a sad old queen who missed his dead mother and had an unrequited crush on his only friend. Depressing as hell, but not terribly interesting. In the end he did what so many do when there's nothing left to live for: he joined a book club.

* What I couldn't grasp was how someone ostensibly obsessed with germs and cleanliness could use the same nasty toothbrush over and over for that purpose.

Thanks to Kristine for the links.