OCD

Do you have obsessive thoughts or repetitive and compulsive behavior that interfere with your daily life? You may be living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and can benefit from treatment. At Kensington Wellness Mental Health Counseling, the team of expert providers offers exceptional OCD care to people aged 12 and older in the New York City, New York, community. Call the office today or reach out online to schedule a virtual appointment. 

What is OCD? 

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic mental health condition that causes you to have frequent and undesired mental images or thoughts. To alleviate the thoughts, you may perform repetitive behaviors.

The average onset age for OCD diagnosis is 19, but it’s normal for symptoms and behaviors to come and go throughout your lifetime. 

How do I know if I have OCD?

You may have OCD if you have particular compulsions and obsessions. 

OCD compulsions 

You may perform compulsive behaviors like: 

• Repeatedly checking things 
• Obsessively washing your hands
• Asking for continual reassurance 
• Arranging things in a particular way 
• Hoarding 
• Counting 
• Performing a task a specific amount of times 
• Repeating mantras or words
• Repeatedly checking that you haven’t caused another harm 

Many people with OCD don’t find pleasure in performing compulsions but feel they are necessary to avoid worsening anxiety.

OCD obsessions 

You may experience unwanted thoughts or mental images, such as: 

• Fear of germs 
• Intrusive sexual thoughts or images
• Fear of making mistakes
• Fear of hurting yourself or others
• Distress over morality 
• Feelings of doubt 
• Need for organization or perfection 
• Fear of losing something 

You may be able to identify these thoughts as irrational, but they still feel urgent or uncontrollable. 

What are my OCD treatment options?

Before developing a treatment plan, your provider asks about your OCD symptoms and if they interfere with your daily life. 

Psychotherapy 

Talk therapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), helps you understand, accept, and avoid harmful thinking. Your provider enables you to develop tools to encourage healthy behavior and thought patterns. 

Therapy promotes mindfulness and can help you improve your distress tolerance and emotional regulation.

With exposure and response prevention (ERP), your provider may expose you to a situation that usually evokes fear, distress, or compulsive behavior. Then, you learn therapeutic techniques to help you get accustomed to experiencing this trigger but not giving in to your compulsions. 

Medication 

Antidepressant medications like serotonin reuptake inhibitors and selective SRIs can treat OCD symptoms by improving your mood and stress levels. The team will discuss any medication side effects with you before deciding the best option. 

If you’re looking for expert OCD treatment, call Kensington Wellness Mental Health Counseling today or book a virtual appointment online.