Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, is a biologically based mental illness where the sufferer has obsessions, or thoughts that are intrusive and distressing, and they perform rituals (compulsions) to relieve the anxiety. If the degree of functioning and impairment is high enough, it’s considered a disorder.
If you think or know you have OCD, we’ll develop a plan to show you that it doesn’t have to rule (or ruin) your life. On the contrary, we want you to be the best you can be.
The definition of OCD for the child is the same, but diagnosis can be a little trickier. Depending on the child’s age, their vocabulary may simply not be able to describe truly what they’re feeling. This is why getting an expert involved is essential. So if you’re not sure that your child has OCD but suspect it, call me, and we can discuss. Many of my clients are children, and I’m well-versed in helping children understand the various techniques for managing their OCD.
ERP is the gold standard for treating OCD, and I’m one of a few therapists in Northeast Ohio trained in it. For more information about treatment and the importance of ERP, please visit the International OCD Foundation.
If you haven’t seen the documentary Free Solo, I highly recommend it. It follows Alex Honnold, a professional rock climber, and his journey to free solo Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan. To free solo means you climb without ropes or harnesses, nothing. If he lets go, he falls. The film is riveting. What I find…
It’s been one year since the shelter-at-home was issued here in Ohio. With the vaccine well underway, it seems that “normal” is coming or at least it’s in our sights. Reopening looks different depending on where you live as well as your personal perspective. When I heard that some states lifted their COVID restrictions, I…
Even when you want to change, the thought of it can be scary. It is for just about all of us, but for those with obsessive compulsive disorder, scary doesn’t begin to describe it. Changing your behaviors is a process, which is a good thing to remember. Knowing it’s not all at once might help…
ERP stands for Exposure and Response (or Ritual) Prevention. For those with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), ERP along with medication, lifestyle changes and other factors, can give them back their lives.
I hear this all the time: “I’m so OCD, because……..” I have to then take some deep breaths. As a therapist whose practice is focused on helping those with this mental illness, hearing OCD used as an adjective makes me want to scream. It also makes me realize just how misunderstood it is. Before I…
I have to be honest. My general feeling about the holidays usually leaves me wanting to go to sleep around Thanksgiving and wake up after New Year’s. Thanks to the pandemic, those feelings have only intensified this year. That being said, I’m going to take some of my own advice … Expect to feel a…
