Obsessive Compulsive Disorder doesn’t have to rule your life
What is OCD?
We hear about OCD all the time in pop culture and society. Usually, it’s something like, “ugh I spent all weekend organizing my closet by color, I am so OCD!” Spoiler alert: that’s not what OCD is. In fact, not only can those kinds of comments be really hurtful for people struggling with OCD, it can be detrimental for awareness and muddy our understanding of what it actually is.
OCD is made up of three features: obsessions, compulsions, and it gets in the way of living the kind of life you want to live.
Obsessions are thoughts, urges, or images that are intrusive, unwanted, and cause you a lot of stress and anxiety. An obsession can be anything, but a lot of people have them around contamination, worries they might hurt themselves or someone else, or even images of violences. Sometimes it’s a thought of something not being “just right.” People with OCD try to stop these obsessions by doing things like avoiding triggers, asking for reassurance from others, or trying to neutralize or replace them with other more positive thoughts or images.
Compulsions are essentially what we do to make ourselves feel better about the obsession, even if it doesn’t really make sense. They might be behaviors, like washing, checking, or repeating something, but they can also be mental compulsions or rituals. Often mental compulsions are things like reviewing events in your mind, using logic to battle the obsession, or trying to replace “bad thoughts” with “good thoughts.” The important thing about compulsions though, is that they are done to either feel better about the obsession or prevent the feared outcome of the obsession.
Just about every person has had obsessive thoughts and compulsions. It’s actually a pretty normal thing! So just having obsessions and compulsions doesn’t mean you’re dealing with OCD. This is where that last initial comes in. In order for this pattern of obsessions and compulsions to be a disorder, it needs to really get in the way of your life. That might mean you spend a lot of time on it throughout your day or that it is affecting parts of your life, like work, school, or your relationships. It could also be that the obsessions and compulsions just really, really bother you.
The vast majority of people with OCD have what’s called “good insight.” This means that, outside of stressful situations, they know logically that their OCD beliefs aren’t true. For example, a lot of people with OCD worry that they might have hit someone with their car without realizing it (obsession) and will either try to reassure themselves (mental compulsion) or check the news for hit-and-runs and retrace their route to look for evidence. Outside of a triggering event, they know this isn’t true - if they hit someone, they would realize it. It’s when the OCD thoughts come creeping in that the doubting starts.
How is OCD treated?
OCD reinforces itself in a lot of ways. When you’re having obsessive thoughts and feeling really anxious, you do compulsions or rituals in an effort to feel less anxious. That might bring down the anxiety some, but then it starts back up again and you do another to feel better. Soon enough, you find yourself on the OCD rollercoaster.
OCD treatment helps you step off that rollercoaster. You’ve probably heard of cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. There has been a lot of research done on a type of CBT called Exposure and Response Prevention, which was created specifically to treat OCD. This is often referred to as ERP or EX/RP.
The OCD Rollercoaster
With ERP, we’ll work to face your anxiety head on. If you’re like most people, that idea probably sounds pretty intimidating! That’s totally normal. In ERP, we’re asking you to face your biggest fears and that’d be scary for anyone! But we’ll work up to it, and you’ll never be forced to do anything you don’t want to do. ERP is collaborative, so we’re teammates when it comes to treatment planning.
I’m an ERP-trained therapist and can treat adults with OCD anywhere in Maryland through virtual sessions. If you’re ready to finally step off that rollercoaster, then let’s get started!
Rates
Individual Sessions
$180
You may have out-of-network benefits available through your insurance plan. Superbills are available, which you can submit for possible reimbursement with your insurance company.
Due to state laws and licensing requirements, virtual sessions can only be held with individuals who are physically located in Maryland or Washington, D.C. at the time of the session.