OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects about 5 million children, teens, and adults in the United States, which may negatively affect their thoughts and behavior patterns. At First Cornerstone Health LLC, serving patients in and around Atlanta, Georgia, North Carolina, Washington, and Florida, Chinwe Ibiam DNP, AGACNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, APRN, offers compassionate OCD support to help you regain control of your life. To schedule an OCD consultation via telehealth, call the office or schedule an appointment online today.

What is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)?

OCD is a mental health condition that affects your behaviors and thoughts. People with OCD have strong compulsions in which they repeat certain behaviors and have obsessive thoughts they can’t control without intervention.

OCD is a common mental health concern that specialists often diagnose by age 19. Researchers are still investigating underlying causes of OCD, but environmental factors and genetics appear to play roles in its development.

People with OCD may have abnormalities in their brain structure, or learn compulsive behaviors from family members.

What are the hallmark symptoms of OCD?

OCD causes you to experience obsessive thoughts, compulsive behaviors, or combinations of both of these symptoms. Examples include:

Compulsions

With compulsions, you might have strong urges to complete specific behaviors to relieve anxiety connected to obsessive thoughts. You may repeatedly wash your hands, rearrange the cups in your cabinet, have extreme orderliness in your home, or constantly re-check for locked doors.

Obsessions

Obsessions lead to repeated thoughts or urges that contribute to anxiety. Your obsession may include fear of dirt or germs or a need for items to be organized in symmetrical patterns.

Why is OCD treatment important?

It’s often challenging to disengage from repetitive thoughts and behaviors when you have OCD. In fact, you may not be able to stop following through with problematic behavior patterns. Without treatment, OCD can cause significant distress and be time consuming, interfering with your job, school, or other daily activities.

How is OCD treated?

First Cornerstone Health embraces the core principles of OCD treatment to ensure superior, long-lasting results and a better quality of life for patients.

A highly effective treatment for OCD includes exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, which involves gradual exposure to distressing situations or thoughts. This type of therapy doesn’t remove OCD triggers or stressors, but it helps you gradually confront it. Over time, the goal is to improve your response to certain situations and thoughts.

Other treatments that can complement ERP include medication management, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and other types of talk therapy. Talk therapy offers the opportunity to identify and understand thoughts and behaviors that make it difficult to cope with certain life situations.

By choosing telehealth treatments with Chinwe, you can improve thought and behavior patterns in a safe, effective, and healthy way using new coping strategies.

If you or your family would like to learn more about OCD treatment options, call First Cornerstone Health or schedule a telehealth appointment online today.