STEPHEN FODE: It is a life long struggle.
I mean, it’s a struggle day in and day out.
COMM: Stephen Fode has suffered form Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder and Body Dysmorphic Disorder all of his adult life.
STEPHEN FODE: Doing that to make sure you don’t feel water.
STEPHEN FODE: Over years of having OCD and
BDD, it’s horrible, it’s like, you know, dealing with the devil.
STEPHEN FODE: I just always see flaws - this
is kind of ridiculous. And you still get these people that are like, “Oh, just go get a
job” or, you know, “Keep busy.”
COMM: He began noticing symptoms as a teenager
and it gradually began to take over his life.
STEPHEN FODE: And I throw away, like the top
one I throw, I get rid of, because it might be contaminated and then that.
MARLENE HARTJE: He was, like, voted the Most
Likely To Succeed in high school. He all of a sudden started to display symptoms like
continually washing his hands, then it actually evolved into much more complicated disease.
He has become anorexic. He walks around with gloves all the time. He doesn’t want to
touch anything. It is just really hard. I just want to shake him and say, “Stop doing that.”
COMM: Helping Stephan keep a handle on his compulsions is therapist Eda.
EDA GORBIS: He was extremely severe sufferer
of both Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Body Dysmorphic Disorder. So he was already
a pretty severe sufferer of BDD, who had undergone several plastic surgeries and countless little
interventions. So, yeah, he was completely dysfunctional at the point when I met him.
COMM: To date, Stephen has spent over $150,000
on plastic surgery procedures.
STEPHEN FODE: On my nose, I’ve had three
nose jobs. I would still try to get another one, but the doctor wouldn’t let me, said
I had too much scar tissue. My lips look big but I will probably get more if I, I mean,
I would like to get more, but then I'll look kind of weird, I don’t know.
STEPHEN FODE: I have lost jobs because of
OCD, because I have been late.
STEPHEN FODE: You know, when you are taking
a four-hour shower. I remember I worked for this one company and they like did the time
sheets, and they were like, “No one’s ever been like this late this many times.”
EDA GORBIS: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
is characterised by intrusive thoughts, images and impulses that enter one’s mind against
one’s will and cause significant, really significant anxiety and distress.
STEPHEN FODE: Yeah, I have missed on several
events, I mean, I, just you name it. There’s been times when I've had dates come to my front
door and I can actually hear them ringing the door bell, and I will not get out of the
shower, and I don’t care. It’s totally affected my love life. I’m afraid of it.
You are afraid of sexual activity. That’s powerful.
EDA GORBIS: Body Dysmorphic Disorder is the
disorder of, that is perceived as, perceived ugliness. They feel ugly at all times. It
is the most treacherous thing I believe one can ever have.
STEPHAN FODE: So, what does this do?
EDA GORBIS: Well, it really targets and goes,
has an access to the fear of feeling fat. That’s the idea behind it.
STEPHAN FODE: I will go like days without
eating…days. And, you know, your OCD gets really bad.
STEPHAN FODE: I can, I gain three pounds and
I get freaked out. When I get on the scale in the morning and I have put on like three
pounds, it can ruin, I get really depressed, extremely and it is, people don’t even notice
it probably.
COMM: Stephan now works as an actor and lives
with his mother in Los Angeles.
MARLENE HARTJE: I think that one of the keys
to getting him better is to keep him really really busy. He does get auditions and he’s
had some nice bookings.
STEPHAN FODE: Acting is a good profession
for me. It’s not a 9-to-5, it’s a little on the eccentric side, so you can kind of
get away with weird quirky things, and they allow it, they want it. I am yet to see anyone
that has said, “I got rid of my OCD.“ Never happened.
STEPHAN FODE: Look like I am pregnant. I have man boobs.
STEPHAN FODE: I try to have a sense of humour
about it, and it seems to help, that, you know, this is so ridiculous and not take it
so seriously.
STEPHAN FODE: Kind of hard to touch the door knob.
STEPHAN FODE: So you kind of have to just
laugh at it and get through it.