I find it difficult to fathom that in all the years this show has been on the air, the hasn't been the slightest hint of public outcry at its portrayal of OCD sufferers. Sure, it's a funny little detective show that can occasionally be downright clever in its plots and dialogue. But despite what the producers or "OCD experts" have apparently said, the character of Monk is insulting beyond words. From the very first episode, the show has treated OCD as a joke, a comical disorder, easily dismissed and therefore easily mocked. I daresay if a new, lighthearted detective show attempted to portray a character with, say, no legs, the subject would be taken a bit more seriously. Like Ironside, for instance... did you ever see that episode where he tried to get up the stairs without his wheelchair, and he just kept thumping along and then falling back down while the goofy music played, and then his assistant came in and said "Oh, Ironside, won't you ever learn? You're only half a man!" and then everybody had a good laugh? No? How about the SIX SEASONS worth of episodes where that happened? <br /><br />That's one of my very favorite things about the show... the way everyone is so desperately patronizing, and Monk naturally puts up with it. Because, y'know, he deserves it. Honestly, that the character of Sharona, that streetwise single mom who really needed the job, could get away with constantly and publicly criticizing, second-guessing, and mocking her employer is the ultimate testament to how the show's creators really view the condition. In anything approaching a plausible situation, she would have been instantly fired, and if there were any justice, slapped very hard before being ejected from his home. But no... she's meant to be the realistic character we all relate to, isn't she? <br /><br />I know that some OCD sufferers have taken some solace from the show, and from the fact that OCD has been recognized by the mainstream at all, and that's a wonderful thing. In the main, though, this show's depiction of a man with something the writers inexplicably think is OCD simply makes people who have the real condition feel more ostracized than ever. And packing the first season DVD set with a moist towelette... what a stroke of sensitivity from the marketing guys at USA. But no, it's a caring show, the producers said so.<br /><br />I've been looking through some of the comments posted here... OCD's become something of a popular buzzword the last few years. Everyone who likes to keep a tidy house or have both shoes pointing the same way giggles and says they have it. You know how you can tell when someone doesn't know what they're talking about? When they say "Oh, I'm a little bit OCD..." Here's an important detail, folks: OCD is not an adjective. If someone uses it that way, you can feel completely justified in ignoring everything else they ever say, ever.<br /><br />Personally, I'd like to see an episode called "Mr. Monk Can't Leave the Room." It could be a full hour of Tony Shalhoub trying to move his hand from the doorframe. In act two, after the break, he can start to cry. The denouement can be when he can't make it to the bathroom in act five, and urinates on himself. And we'll all have a good laugh.