Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

OCD is more than being neat or organized.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) causes unwanted, intrusive thoughts that can lead to intense anxiety. These intrusive thoughts trigger compulsions, which are attempts to relieve the anxiety temporarily. They are very effective at this, BUT end up contributing to the cycle of OCD which may interfere with your life. 

Common symptoms include excessive checking, contamination fears, repetitive reassurance-seeking, counting, mental rituals, or distressing thoughts about harm coming to yourself or others.

These symptoms can be exhausting and interfere with daily life, but OCD is highly treatable with evidence-based care.

OCD can present in many ways, common symptoms include excessive checking, contamination fears, repetitive reassurance-seeking, counting, mental rituals, or distressing thoughts about harm coming to yourself or others.

Although the themes vary, the underlying cycle of obsessions and compulsions is the same and can be effectively treated with evidence-based approaches such as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and, when appropriate, medication.

I specialize in diagnosing and treating obsessive compulsive disorder. As a psychiatrist I assess if you may need medication, which can be a great tool to help therapy be more effective. When the distress is too severe, it can make it impossible to process these thoughts and feelings. This is when I recommend medication. There are several options depending on what you have tried, any medical conditions, set up a free consultation to see how I can help you.

We will work as a team to help provide you with the most effective treatment possible based on your preferences.

Most people have a "partial response," meaning they see a modest reduction in their symptoms, but can still have persistent distress and/or inability to live their life the way they wish. For these people there are a few options we can explore. In several large meta analyses (combination of a lot of data from clinical trials), predominantly two antipsychotics have found to be helpful. There are some studies that show some efficacy from other medications that work on "glutamate signaling" (a neurotransmitter that controls how active the brain is),  however large studies have not showed consistent benefit, therefore would use these on a case by case basis. If after these options, nothing has worked, I can refer you to higher levels of care including intensive outpatient therapy. There are a few exciting options being studied in more detail including transcranial magnetic stimulation and deep brain stimulation, which I am happy to refer you to centers that provide these services if you would like.