Houston Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Treatment & Therapy

Q: What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by obsessions (reoccurring, intrusive thoughts or images) and compulsions (actions performed in response to the obsession). Obsessions are worries or concerns that feel uncontrollable and cause distress. Compulsions are repetitive rituals the person feels compelled to complete to ease their distress. Engagement in the compulsion often results in brief relief and then leads to increased reliance on the compulsion to lessen the anxiety.

What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by obsessions (reoccurring, intrusive thoughts or images) and compulsions (actions performed in response to the obsession). Obsessions are worries or concerns that feel uncontrollable and cause distress. Compulsions are repetitive rituals the person feels compelled to complete to ease their distress. Engagement in the compulsion often results in brief relief and then leads to increased reliance on the compulsion to lessen the anxiety.

What are Some Typical Symptoms of OCD?

Typical obsessions involve fears of contamination, illness, incompletion, and engaging in taboo or dangerous behavior. Themes often center around death, harm, aggression to self or others, sex, and religiosity. Common compulsive behaviors include repetitive cleaning, checking, ordering, counting, repeating, reassurance seeking, and hoarding. If you or someone you know is experiencing similar symptoms,

What are a Few Common OCD Behaviors?

Obsessions and compulsions are typically unreasonable, excessive, time-consuming, and distressing and interfere with the individual’s ability to function and enjoy life. Magical thinking is often present in those with OCD and involves the belief that one's thoughts or actions can influence the course of events in the material world. For example: if I always get out of bed on the left side, I can protect my family from harm today.

How Can I Treat My OCD Behavior?

What are some therapy treatments to help with my OCD?

Treatment can be effective for those with OCD and may include medication, psychotherapy, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Psychotherapy with a licensed therapist may include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and related therapies, like Habit Reversal Training and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD. At Resilience Center of Houston, we are your top choice for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) treatment and ERP therapy for OCD. Call our center today to learn about our therapists and how we can help you achieve your best self.

What are the different types of anxiety disorders?

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

Generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive and persistent worry that interferes with daily life. Relentless worry results in physical symptoms, like restlessness, feeling on edge, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, exhaustion, and sleep problems. Topics of worry typically center on everyday matters, like appointments, home repairs, work responsibilities, and family health.

What is Panic Disorder?

Panic Disorder is characterized by recurrent Panic Attacks. Panic attacks present with severe and overwhelming psychological and physical distress, involving some of the below symptoms.

What are the physical symptoms of Panic Disorder?

Rapid heartbeat
Shortness of breath
Muscle tension
Sweating
Shaking
Restlessness
Dizziness
Tightness in the chest
Numbness or tingling

What are the psychological symptoms of Panic Disorder?

Feeling like you’re having a heart attack
Feeling like you’re going to die
Feeling impending doom
Feeling like you’re going crazy
Feeling like you’re losing touch with reality
Fearing you’ll lose control of yourself
Constant worry about when you’ll have your next panic attack
Fear you’ll embarrass yourself

What are Phobias?

A specific phobia involves intense and persistent fear of a particular object, situation or activity that is generally not dangerous. The experienced distress is acute and leads sufferers to go to extreme lengths to avoid what they fear.

What are common phobias?

Fear of driving
Fear of flying
Fear of vomiting
Fear of needles
Fear of confined spaces
Fear of being alone
Fear of leaving the house

What is Agoraphobia?

Agoraphobia is characterized by the fear of being trapped or stuck in circumstances in which escape may be difficult or embarrassing, or help might not be easily available. The fear is acutely distressing and interferes with normal daily activities. The person typically avoids the situation, needs a companion, or experiences extreme anxiety.

What are common situations agoraphobics fear?

Trembling
Crowds
Enclosed Spaces
Open Spaces
Public transportation
Leaving the home

What is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder ?

PTSD can develop after a severe physical or emotional trauma such as a sexual assault, natural disaster, or serious accident. Those with PTSD feel intensely upsetting thoughts and emotions connected to their traumatic experience that persist long after the situation happened.

What are PTSD symptoms?

The symptoms of PTSD can be categorized into four areas.

Intrusion – repeated, unwanted thoughts, nightmares, and flashbacks of the event

Avoidance – steering clear of people, places, activities, and objects that are associated with the event.

Changes in cognition and mood – loss of interest, distorted thinking, difficulties concentrating, loss of certain memories, negative emotions, hypervigilance, social withdrawal, and anhedonia.

Changes in behavior – social withdrawal, anger outbursts, recklessness, sensitive startle response, problems sleeping.

What is Social Anxiety Disorder?

Social Anxiety Disorder involves excessive discomfort in social situations and a fear of experiencing embarrassment, judgment, humiliation, condescension, or rejection in social situations that can negatively impact work, school, and other daily activities. People with this disorder will try to avoid social situations or endure them with great anxiety.

What are commonly feared situations for those with social anxiety?

Commonly feared situations include attending parties, interacting at work, eating in public, or engaging in unscripted interactions.

What are common Social Anxiety symptoms?

Trembling
Blushing
Sweating
Rapid heartbeat
Mind goes blank
Stomachache
Speaks very softly
Avoids eye contact

What is Separation Anxiety Disorder?

Separation Anxiety Disorder is is characterized by excessive fear of being away from those we are close to, who are also called attachment persons.

What are signs of Separation Anxiety Disorder?

Anticipation of potential separation causes mounting fear
Persistent worry about the negative consequences resulting from separation
Obsessive focus on the multitude of situations that could lead to separation
Interferes with attending important activities, like work or school
Fears of sleeping outside the home and away from attachment persons
Nightmares about separation
Headaches, nausea, or vomiting

What is Selective Mutism?

Selective Mutism is a rare and debilitating childhood condition that involves a failure to speak in certain situations in which there is a natural expectation to speak. A child may talk at home, for example, and be nonverbal at school. The absence of spoken communication can significantly interfere with the child’s academic achievement and can stunt their social development and the formation of relationships with others. It is theorized that Selective Mutism may be an early and specific manifestation of Social Anxiety Disorder.

What are behaviors associated with Selective Mutism?