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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Roger Basick.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm Jillian Woodward. Spotlight uses a special English method

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<v Speaker 2>of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no

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<v Speaker 2>matter where in the world they live.

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<v Speaker 1>The boy was afraid that creatures from another planet were

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<v Speaker 1>going to take over his mind. He had been reading

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<v Speaker 1>a book for older children called Animorphs. In the book,

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<v Speaker 1>these creatures called yerks, could climb into a person's ear.

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<v Speaker 1>The yerks could control a person's movement, but the person

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<v Speaker 1>would still be aware inside. He would watch as the

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<v Speaker 1>yerks moved his body. He could not control his own

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<v Speaker 1>body's movements.

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<v Speaker 2>This idea was so troubling to the boy that he

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<v Speaker 2>started to feel his ears for the creatures. He knew

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<v Speaker 2>that yerks did not exist. He understood the difference between

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<v Speaker 2>a story world and the real world, but he was afraid.

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<v Speaker 2>Whenever he thought about the yerks. His fear went away

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<v Speaker 2>only if he put his fingers in his ears to

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<v Speaker 2>make sure the yerks were not there. As time went on,

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<v Speaker 2>he had to check many times each day before the

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<v Speaker 2>fear went away. Some days it got so bad his

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<v Speaker 2>ears bled.

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<v Speaker 1>This young boy had obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. OCD

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<v Speaker 1>is a disease of the mind. It is characterized by looping,

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<v Speaker 1>fearful thoughts, and repeated actions. Looping is a pattern of

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<v Speaker 1>fearful thoughts. Sufferers often feel trapped. They feel caught in

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<v Speaker 1>a repeating loop or series of thoughts and behaviors, But

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<v Speaker 1>there is hope for people who have OCD. Today's spotlight

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<v Speaker 1>is on obsessive compulsive disorder.

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<v Speaker 2>When most people use the phrase OCD in an English

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<v Speaker 2>they are not talking about the real obsessive compulsive disorder.

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<v Speaker 2>When they say someone is OCD, they mean someone is

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<v Speaker 2>neat or likes to clean. Often, a person called OCD

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<v Speaker 2>may be embarrassed by particular actions, but this person does

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<v Speaker 2>not truly have obsessive compulsive disorder. However, a person with

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<v Speaker 2>a real OCD diagnosis may sometimes feel the need to

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<v Speaker 2>be neat or clean.

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<v Speaker 1>The truth is that OCD is a difficult disease to

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<v Speaker 1>talk about. Each OCD sufferer has two different symptoms, obsessions

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<v Speaker 1>and compulsions. An obsession is a thought or series of

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<v Speaker 1>thoughts that a person with OCD cannot get rid of

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<v Speaker 1>or stop thinking about. A compulsion is an action the

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<v Speaker 1>person feels forced to do obsessions cause compulsions, and compulsions

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<v Speaker 1>reinforce and continue obsessive behavior.

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<v Speaker 2>OCD affects each individual in different ways. Like the boy

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<v Speaker 2>from the introduction, an OCD sufferer may have the need

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<v Speaker 2>to check something over and over again. He may clean

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<v Speaker 2>obsessively because he fears the dirt will make him sick.

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<v Speaker 2>He may avoid crowds because he is afraid he will

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<v Speaker 2>hurt someone. Pull his hair until the skin has turned

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<v Speaker 2>red and clumps of hair are in his hands. He

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<v Speaker 2>may visit his place of worship over and over again,

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<v Speaker 2>afraid he has done something that will anger his God.

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<v Speaker 2>He may do all of these things or only one

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<v Speaker 2>of these, hour after hour after hour, day after day

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<v Speaker 2>after day.

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<v Speaker 1>These are outer signs of OCD behavior. This is what

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<v Speaker 1>most people see, but the disorder is best described as

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<v Speaker 1>a process that takes place in the mind.

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<v Speaker 2>Each obsession starts with a random thought. Most people have

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<v Speaker 2>thoughts like these. Strange ideas appear in the mind that

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<v Speaker 2>might be troubling. Most people dismiss these thoughts without thinking

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<v Speaker 2>about them too much, but a person with OCD is

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<v Speaker 2>not able to forget these thoughts. These ideas cause fear

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<v Speaker 2>the more she tries to push the thoughts away. The

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<v Speaker 2>more these thoughts will appear, she may think that there

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<v Speaker 2>must be something wrong with her because she is having

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<v Speaker 2>these thoughts.

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<v Speaker 1>A compulsion is a way to get rid of the

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<v Speaker 1>fear of these thoughts. It is a way to do

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<v Speaker 1>something to control in all sufferer's fears. But compulsions do

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<v Speaker 1>not stop the fear from returning. Instead, acting to get

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<v Speaker 1>rid of the fear caused by the obsessive thought teaches

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<v Speaker 1>the brain that there really is something to fear. When

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<v Speaker 1>the thought comes back, the sufferer performs the compulsion again

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<v Speaker 1>to make the fear go away, but over time he

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<v Speaker 1>will need more compulsive actions before the fear goes away.

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<v Speaker 1>The fearful thoughts keep coming back. The more he tries

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<v Speaker 1>to get rid of them, the worse these thoughts become.

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<v Speaker 2>Dr Christopher Pittinger is the director of the Yale School

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<v Speaker 2>of Medicine's OCD Research Office. He told National Public Radio, all.

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<v Speaker 3>Of us get thoughts like this, all of us do

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<v Speaker 3>things to control our fears. OCD is when those get

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<v Speaker 3>to such a point that they start to take over.

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<v Speaker 3>It is then these thoughts get in the way of

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<v Speaker 3>people's ability to live their lives.

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<v Speaker 1>There are many different ways that OCD shows itself. It

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<v Speaker 1>will be a little different for each person who suffers

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<v Speaker 1>from it. One of the most common but often misunderstood

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<v Speaker 1>OCD experiences is having obsessive thoughts about harm.

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<v Speaker 2>Matt has OCD and suffers from this issue. When he

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<v Speaker 2>was twelve, he saw a knife on the kitchen table.

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<v Speaker 2>He wondered if he was going to use it to

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<v Speaker 2>harm himself. He went to the train station, but he

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<v Speaker 2>would avoid going near the train. He was afraid he

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<v Speaker 2>would jump in front of the train. He told the conversation.

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<v Speaker 4>I did not feel like I wanted to kill myself.

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<v Speaker 4>I really enjoyed my life. I just had an intense

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<v Speaker 4>fear of doing something to hurt myself.

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<v Speaker 1>Matt's thoughts are normal for someone suffering from OCD. The

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<v Speaker 1>fears he has often have little to do with reality,

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<v Speaker 1>but the fear makes him question himself. He does not

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<v Speaker 1>want hurt himself, but what if there is something in

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<v Speaker 1>him that does something out of his control? What if

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<v Speaker 1>he reaches out and grabs the knife without knowing it.

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<v Speaker 2>These obsessions can be truly destructive. Combined with untreated compulsions,

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<v Speaker 2>the disorder can ruin a person's life. The World Health

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<v Speaker 2>Organization lists OCD as one of the most disabling diseases

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<v Speaker 2>in the world. OCD can also lead to other mental disorders,

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<v Speaker 2>like depression.

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<v Speaker 1>But having OCD is not the end. Many people have

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<v Speaker 1>OCD and live successful lives. John Bunyan was an English writer.

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<v Speaker 1>His obsessive compulsive disorder drove him to write the book

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<v Speaker 1>The Pilgrim's Progress. This Christian book is one of the

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<v Speaker 1>greatest examples of English literature from the seventeenth century. It

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<v Speaker 1>remains a favorite book of many readers today. David Beckham,

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<v Speaker 1>one of the most decorated football players in the world,

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<v Speaker 1>has OCD. He obsessively cleans and organizes his home while

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<v Speaker 1>the rest of his family is asleep. American celebrities Katy

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<v Speaker 1>Perry and Lena Dunham also suffer from the condition. The

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<v Speaker 1>International OCD Foundation estimates that one hundred and fifty to

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<v Speaker 1>two hundred million people world wide suffer from OCD.

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<v Speaker 2>The good news about OCD is that it is treatable.

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<v Speaker 2>Different medications can reduce fears and obsessive behaviors. Mental health

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<v Speaker 2>providers and therapists are trained to help reduce compulsions. One

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<v Speaker 2>helpful resource for OCD is called Exposure and response therapy

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<v Speaker 2>or ERP. In ERP, a therapist exposes an OCD sufferer

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<v Speaker 2>to situations that trigger obsessive thoughts. The OCD patient will

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<v Speaker 2>want to react to perform the compulsion, but the patient

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<v Speaker 2>should not. ERP means not reacting to fear until the

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<v Speaker 2>fear goes away.

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<v Speaker 1>ERP teaches that obsessions are just thoughts. These thoughts do

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<v Speaker 1>not mean anything more than other thoughts. The fear that

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<v Speaker 1>follows does not make those thoughts any more important. Not

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<v Speaker 1>reacting to these fears teaches the body that the thought

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<v Speaker 1>is not worth fearing. This is called response prevention. Tracy

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<v Speaker 1>Ibrahim works with n OCD, a provider of OCD treatment.

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<v Speaker 5>She said, the important thing about response prevention is not

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<v Speaker 5>escaping the obsession. You are not trying to escape or act.

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<v Speaker 5>Acting tends to be compulsive. Response prevention can be as

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<v Speaker 5>simple as not doing anything. You just let the obsession live,

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<v Speaker 5>see that it is there, and not judge it.

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<v Speaker 2>Oct never really goes away. In moments of stress, a

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<v Speaker 2>sufferer often falls back on acting compulsively, but she can

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<v Speaker 2>learn to be better. She can know that the world

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<v Speaker 2>of obsessions is not worth fearing.

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<v Speaker 1>Mental illness can be both good and bad. Do you

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<v Speaker 1>know anyone with mental illness? How does this person struggle

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<v Speaker 1>with it? How does it affect this person's life? How

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<v Speaker 1>may you offer support and encouragement to someone with mental illness.

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<v Speaker 1>You can leave a comment on our website at www

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<v Speaker 1>dot Spotlight English dot com. You can also find us

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<v Speaker 1>on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and x. You can also get

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<v Speaker 1>through our free official Spotlight English app.

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<v Speaker 2>The writer of this program was Dan Christman. The producer

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<v Speaker 2>was mitchio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the

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<v Speaker 2>United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted

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<v Speaker 2>for this program and voiced by Spotlight. This program is

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<v Speaker 2>called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

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<v Speaker 1>We hope you can join us again for the next

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<v Speaker 1>Spotlight program. Goodbye,