'Man, Interrupted' is the true story of one man's experiences as a sufferer of severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Jim Bailey's obsessions centred around drugs and his fear of coming into contact with them, either through people spiking his food, by accidentally touching a junkie, or even just touching a photograph of marijuana. After a
period of trying desperately to cope with his illness, he was admitted to one of America's leading psychiatric hospitals. The myriad methods of treatment there included trips to Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California, to meet and greet the neighbourhood's homeless and drug addicts in an attempt to expose him to his fears and eradicate his anxiety. However, while trying to cure his OCD, Jim discovered he had another problem: impulse control. Whenever a beautiful Asian woman would pass him by, Jim would immediately disregard the drug addicts and feel compelled to hit on her. This resulted in feelings of guilt, as he realised that he had come to Berkeley to conquer his fears but all he was doing was turning a source of enjoyment into another obsession. This guilt would make Jim take risks. He would run out and share a homeless heroin addict's cigarette, then seek out another Asian girl before feeling guilty again and repeating the cycle.
