If you are living with obsessive compulsive disorder, you may feel isolated and overwhelmed. The truth is that you are not alone and help is available. It takes just one step to reach out to mental health professionals who specialize in OCD and begin your journey towards recovery. In Mississippi, the team to help you manage OCD and live a full and healthy life is Psycamore. With mental health facilities across the great Magnolia state, equipped with experienced and professional Mental Health treatment teams, we are here as an important partner in your mental health journey.
What is OCD?
While sometimes thought of as a harmless eccentricity, OCD is actually a serious mental health disorder. OCD is characterized by an ongoing cycle of anxiety and distress which lead to persistent, intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors or compulsions. This cycle becomes all-consuming, affecting work, school, relationships, daily life, and overall well-being.
OCD essentially takes control of the brain’s alarm systems. More commonplace and every day anxieties or doubts become amplified and persistent with OCD. This leads to obsessions that trigger anxiety, guilt, disgust, or other intrusive feelings. To reduce this stress, those suffering from OCD may engage in a compulsion, conducting behavioral or mental acts in a driven, repetitive manner.
What Does an OCD Person Do?
Most commonly, those suffering from OCD have an obsession that is always on their minds. Some of the most common OCD obsessions include worrying about germs, dirt, or illness. Others have intrusive thoughts about causing harm to themselves or others even though they may have no intention to actually follow through with this thought. Some suffering from OCD experience excessive concern with moral or religious correctness. Another common OCD tendency is an intense need for things to be done just right or in a perfectly aligned order. Some sufferers of OCD experience unwanted and distressing thoughts about sex, violence, or other more “forbidden” subjects.
When one suffers from these intrusive thoughts, they may engage in compulsions they feel driven to perform to rid themselves of anxiety, guilt, or distress. Common OCD compulsions include:
- Excessive washing and cleaning – of self or objects
- Checking – things like locks, stoves, light switches
- Ordering and arranging items
- Counting or repeating words
- Seeking constant reassurance from others
- Mental rituals – repeating thoughts, praying, reviewing events, etc.
OCD Treatment Near Me
In Mississippi, Psycamore provides a wide range of treatments for OCD at our mental health centers. Every treatment plan is unique but we often incorporate some of the most-used treatments for OCD.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT is a common treatment used for OCD that challenges the thought patterns that drive your obsessions. CBT challenges the negative and distorted thoughts That lead to your obsessions, offering you a more realistic and balanced perspective. This commonly results in reducing the power and frequency of your obsessive thoughts.
- Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP): Cognitive behavioral therapy is perhaps one of the best treatments for OCD. ERP is a type of CBT treatment that gradually exposes you to your feared obsessions without allowing you to reach for your usual compulsions. This process helps your brain learn that your fears are unlikely to occur and that your anxiety is tolerable. This may be an intense method of treatment but the results are often lasting and incredibly effective.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Another commonly utilized method is ACT therapy which teaches you to accept and come to terms with your obsessive thoughts. Rather than struggling against your obsessions, it focuses on acceptance thereby reducing the power of your obsessive thoughts and compulsions and encouraging you to act on values-driven actions rather than obsessive ones.
- Medication: SSRIs, also known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, and other antidepressants can be helpful for managing OCD. These medications adjust the neural chemical imbalances that may exist in your brain. Most commonly, medication is utilized for OCD only in addition to therapies and other treatment options.
- Group & Individual Therapy: In therapy sessions, you’ll learn effective strategies for managing OCD in everyday life, as well as forming a network of others who are facing similar challenges. The support and practical strategies for managing OCD that are shared in therapy have been proven to be incredibly effective.
For the mental health treatment you deserve for OCD, contact Psycamore today. Our experienced team is standing by, ready to assist you in successfully managing your OCD!
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