What OCD Really Is (and Isn’t): A Comedian with OCD & a Psychiatrist Break It Down

Our guest Julian Stern has a show in Los Angeles on Friday, July 18th at The Crow. If you liked this episode and are in the area, please go see him live! 

In this episode of SSRI’M OK, hosts Dr. Bijan Zarrabi, a psychiatry resident, and Macey Isaacs, a stand-up comedian, are joined by comedian Julian Stern—who shows up a little late, but jumps right into the deep end with us.

Julian opens up about what it’s actually like to live with OCD—beyond the casual “I’m so OCD” comments people throw around. We talk about what OCD really is (hint: it’s more than just liking things tidy), the difference between obsessions and compulsions, and how anxiety and depression often tag along for the ride.

Julian shares what it was like to be diagnosed at 10 years old, and how his early compulsions involved Animorphs, ice cubes, and checking locks. As an adult, OCD shows up in different ways—praying on airplanes, ordering iced red eyes, and obsessing over social media posts. We also explore different types of OCD, including harm, checking, contamination, intrusive thoughts, and something called scrupulosity (yep, it’s real).

We dive into how OCD differs from general anxiety, how indecision can feel paralyzing, and what treatment has helped Julian manage it all—plus how comedy fits into the picture.

 

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Art by Zoe Zakson

Music by Raul Garcia

Edited by Katie Hettenbach

 

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