Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is very complex and often very debilitating. Typical OCD symptoms are obsessive thoughts, and compulsive behaviors. Obsessions are usually mental repetition of certain words, phrases or other themes. These can take hours a day and greatly interfere with functioning. Compulsive behaviors often include checking, cleaning, counting, sorting and arranging.
A comprehensive evaluation is needed to diagnose OCD, available with any of our providers, either a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist. Paper and pencil rating scales can help evaluate severity of the symptoms.
There are three primary treatments for OCD. The first is psychotherapy, usually either cognitive-behavioral (CBT), or exposure & response prevention (ERP). These are usually done with a clinical psychologist having a doctoral degree, meeting at least once per week. Treatment can take many weeks, months or longer, but can be very effective. “Homework” is usually assigned to practice techniques to reduce the time or frequency of OCD symptoms.
Contact us today at our practice to schedule an appointment. Our specialists will be happy to meet with you and determine whether the OCD treatment is right for you.
