This week on Back & Forth, Dan and Vish sit down for a powerful and honest conversation with Dave, who opens up about his lived experience with OCD — from intrusive thoughts and spiralling anxiety to hospitalisation, therapy, and learning how to manage it day to day.

Dave shares how stress — whether from work, life events, or even positive change — can quietly raise the temperature and intensify intrusive thoughts. Together, they unpack the reality that everyone experiences intrusive thoughts, but for those with OCD, those thoughts can become tangled in responsibility, fear, and a relentless need to “fix” something that doesn’t actually need fixing.

Using vivid analogies — from wrestling with barbed wire to watching leaves float down a stream — Dave explains what it feels like inside his head, and how therapy has helped him recognise the thoughts without engaging in the compulsions. It’s an incredibly human insight into how OCD operates, how it affects family life, and how easy it is for someone to appear “happy-go-lucky” on the outside while struggling internally.

The conversation also touches on the stigma around OCD being used as a throwaway joke, the importance of safe people you can open up to, and why stories like this matter for those suffering in silence. There’s a shared reminder that help is out there — through the NHS, Mind, OCD Action and other organisations — and that speaking up can be the first step towards regaining control.

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