Statewide OCD awareness week activities feature community walk at BridgeWay Station
September 30, 2026
Communities across South Carolina are preparing to spotlight obsessive-compulsive disorder this October through educational film screenings, regional landmarks lit in teal, and a signature community walk right in the Golden Strip.
Organized by OCD South Carolina, the local affiliate of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), the upcoming events correspond with OCD Awareness Week, an international initiative dedicated to dispelling persistent myths, reducing mental health stigma, and connecting individuals with evidence-based clinical care.
The statewide slate anchors in the Upstate on Saturday, October 10, with the annual Greenville OCD Walk hosted at BridgeWay Station in Simpsonville. Beginning at 12:30 p.m., the walk will bring together individuals navigating OCD, family members, clinical specialists, and local allies to foster grassroots support and community connection.
“By bringing OCD Awareness Week to recognizable gathering places and landmarks across South Carolina, OCD South Carolina hopes to make conversations about the disorder more visible and help people recognize that they are part of a larger community,” said Nolan Blair, president of OCD South Carolina.
The statewide awareness calendar opens earlier in the week in the Midlands. On Monday, October 5 at 6:30 p.m., OCD South Carolina will host an evening of film screenings and panel discussion at The Nickelodeon in Columbia. The event features two documentary screenings—UNSTUCK: An OCD Kids Movie and Uncovering OCD—alongside expert commentary from Dr. Virginia Cooper, founder of the Carolina Center for Anxiety and OCD, and Dr. Kenny Phelps, a Prisma Health and USC School of Medicine child and family therapist specializing in pediatric OCD and tic disorders. Blair will also join the panel to share his lived experience navigating the disorder.
Visual advocacy will extend across the state line to the coast on Sunday, October 11, when the iconic Myrtle Beach SkyWheel illuminates in bright teal to mark the official opening of international OCD Awareness Week, serving as a beacon of hope and support.
OCD is a neurobiological condition characterized by obsessions—distressing, intrusive thoughts or urges—paired with compulsive behaviors or mental rituals performed to mitigate anxiety. While it frequently causes significant disruption in academic, professional, and family routines, effective specialized therapies such as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) provide proven paths toward sustainable management and recovery.
To learn more about participating in the BridgeWay Station walk, accessing local support groups, or connecting with regional resources, visit ocdsc.org or contact Nolan Blair directly at [email protected].
