Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, often involves obsessive thinking patterns and behavioral or mental rituals. Obsessions that can include unwanted thoughts, images, words, or urges that make a person feel anxious or distressed. Sometimes the obsessive think can be very upsetting to the client. People who have OCD often have significant difficulty pushing away or ignoring these thoughts or images. They may also have compulsive behaviors which actions or mental rituals (i.e. counting, etc…) which they find hard to control or stop.
Often, the start of OCD can be traced back to childhood or early adulthood. It is also not unusual to develop OCD or OCD-like symptoms after become new parents. Generally, at the start, the rituals or thoughts are easily managed, or even functional; however, over time thoughts and/or not doing the behaviors start to produce ever increasing anxiety.
As a licensed psychologist, Dr. Arthur has extensive training in helping patients overcoming their OCD symptoms and urges. He uses Exposure with Response Prevention (Ex/RP) to treat OCD and its symptoms. Ex/RP is one of the most researched and reliable way to treat OCD. Dr. Arthur is also available though phone and text message support to boost treatment effectiveness in between session.
Dr. Arthur’s treatment includes both “in-office or tele-health talk therapy” and real-world exposures. Generally in exposure component of therapy, Dr. Arthur will accompany the client into the world and coach them though managing their OCD symptoms.
Common signs, according to the Mayo Clinic, of OCD are:
- Intrusive thoughts
- Constant checking
- Constant counting
- The repeated cleaning of one or more items
- Constantly checking the stove or door locks
- Fear of contamination
- Hoarding
- Thoughts that you might be harmed
- Thoughts that you might cause others harm
- Unwanted sexual thoughts
- Thoughts of the “worst case scenario” happening
If one or more of the above symptoms resonates with you, Dr. Arthur encourages you to look into OCD therapy.