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***Warning: This podcast contains details some listeners may find distressing. If you’re suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. . You can visit BBC Action Line if you’re in the UK. Just search Action Line via the BBC website. And details of help available in many countries can also be found at Befrienders Worldwide: befrienders.org
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. It affects millions of people worldwide, including high-profile athletes such as USA’s multiple Olympic gold medal winning gymnast, Aly Raisman, Washington Commanders’ kicker Zane Gonzalez and New Zealand’s Olympic track cyclist Sam Dakin. Mixed Martial Arts fighter Nathaniel Wood has anxiety and OCD. He tells BBC Sport’s Paul Battison and Ed Harry how the condition ‘consumed’ him for days ahead of a fight in 2023.
Tom Smalley – co-founder of Anxiety in Athletes – explains why using terms such “I think I’m a little bit OCD” or “We’re all a little bit OCD” is harmful when it comes to discussing how serious living with the condition can be.
More than the Score is the BBC World Service’s daily podcast exploring stories from all over the world of sport. Every Monday to Friday, we’re telling stories beyond the scoreline, from tennis to football, boxing to bobsleigh, and rugby league to the NFL. We’ve got interviews with extraordinary athletes like pole vault titan Mondo Duplantis, boxing royalty Cecilia Braekhus and tennis legend Boris Becker, as well as the experts working behind the scenes, from top football scouts to physios who keep NBA stars in peak condition. Plus, we’ve got the expertise of the BBC’s top journalists, who share their insights from decades of covering sport at all levels.
And if you’ve got your own take on the stories we cover, we’d love to hear from you. Email morethanthescore@bbc.co.uk, or WhatsApp us on 0044 800 032 0470. You can find more information, along with our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore
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