Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involves obsessions (thoughts, intrusive images, urges) that result in anxiety. To reduce this anxiety, people engage in compulsions. These compulsions can be physical (tapping; checking; avoiding) or mental (prayers; counting).
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is more than being neat or loving things being clean. It can be a debilitating disorder where you fear things like contamination, fear that you may hurt someone or fear you’re a bad person.
There are two treatments for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Medication in some situations can also be very helpful.
Exposure and Response Prevention:
This is a behavioural therapy that gradually exposes people to situations designed to provoke a person’s obsessions in a safe environment. For instance, for contamination OCD it could be shaking someone’s hand and not washing your hand afterwards. This is the current gold standard treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder .
Interference Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (I-CBT):
Note, this is different to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Interference Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy states obsessive doubts arise based on an over-reliance on the imagination (often very strong in people with OCD) and a distrust of their own senses (what’s happening in the present moment). It helps people to understand their doubts, and also to trust themselves more through practical strategies.
I enjoy working with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and I understand how debilitating it can be. If you would like support and feel we could be a good fit, please get in touch today.
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