Louisville OCD Treatment

According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition that affects 2.5 million adults in the United States. It is characterized by uncontrollable thoughts and behaviors, which can be related to cleanliness, orderliness, perfectionism, or other themes.

These thoughts and behaviors can be so severe that they interfere with daily life. This can lead to serious problems at school or work if the symptoms get out of control. The good news is that there are many effective treatment options available at Louisville Addiction Center.

What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? 

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition that causes people to have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions), or behaviors that make them feel driven to do something over and over again (compulsions).

People who have OCD may feel they need to perform certain rituals or routines over and over again in order to prevent harm to themselves or others. They may also feel they need to check things repeatedly. For example, they may need to check the stove 10 times before leaving the house because they fear they left it on.

These thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations, and behaviors are called obsessions. People with OCD get them in their minds and can not get them out of their minds no matter how hard they try. They become so strong people with OCD know these thoughts are not real but still can not stop having them.

The compulsions are behaviors performed in response to an obsession, in order to relieve stress caused by the obsession. Compulsions are often done as a way to prevent bad things from happening. When someone has an obsession about being dirty or contaminated by germs, for example, they may wash their hands repeatedly or a certain number of times.

This can happen even to the point of injury. People with OCD may spend hours each day performing compulsions such as cleaning, washing, counting, tapping, putting things in order, or arranging things until it “feels right.” 

What are the Signs and Symptoms of OCD?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions or rituals. The symptoms can be mild or severe and can cause significant impairment in a person’s life.

According to the International OCD Foundation, the most common signs of obsessions and compulsions include:

Obsessions

• Worrying about germs or getting sick
• Fears about bad things occurring or doing something wrong
• Thinking things have to be “just right”
• Unwanted or disturbing thoughts or images about harming others
• Unwanted or disturbing thoughts or images of a sexual nature

Compulsions

• Excessive checking
• Excessive washing or cleaning
• Repeating actions 
• Arranging things in a specific way
• Saying lucky words or numbers
• Excessive reassurance seeking

The above-mentioned symptoms can make it challenging to lead a fulfilling and healthy life. In extreme cases of OCD, people struggle to fulfill their daily responsibilities because they cannot move on from their obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviors.

Our Louisville OCD treatment helps clients find healthy coping mechanisms to manage obsessions and compulsions.

Five Types of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

OCD varies from person to person, and many psychiatrists believe it can be categorized into five subtypes of obsessive-compulsive behavior. Individuals often experience symptoms from several of the categories, which can change over time.

The five most common types of OCD are as followed: 

1. Organization

Organization is one of the most common types when individuals think of OCD. This boils down to an obsession with needing everything to be in its right place or symmetrical. This could look like wanting all labels facing in the same direction or keeping their room clean at all times.

If an individual is not able to accomplish this, it might leave them with feelings of distress. They can believe due to the lack of organization harm can happen to themselves or loved ones. 

2. Contamination

This type has two parts. The first is the thought that the people around them can spread illnesses through touch or proximity. The second is that things, thoughts, or even words can “contaminate” a person. A person might see an individual with this type washing their hands frequently or cleaning objects more.

These activities prevent the spread of this perceived contamination. Due to this fear, individuals might become isolated and avoid certain places, things, and people.

3. Intrusive Thoughts

Individuals who experience intrusive thoughts are having distressing ideas enter their minds at seemingly random times. These thoughts can range from causing pain to a loved one or a stranger.

Some believe if they think about something for too long, it will increase the likelihood of it happening. To help them silence their thoughts, they might see or hear them do a certain action or say something out loud.

4. Ruminations

This type is similar to intrusive thoughts but these thoughts often feel interesting or even indulgent. Rumination can cause an individual to spend a large amount of time thinking, worrying, and even overanalyzing specific thoughts or actions.

This can still be distressing to an individual since they will repeat this thought or try to solve a problem. This can include worrying about future events, replaying past scenarios, or trying to predict how an event will play out. 

5. Checking

Checking is another common type of OCD. This is an obsession in which an individual is worried about causing harm due to being careless. Checking might look like making sure the door is locked or that the burners on their stoves are turned off. They might do this multiple times to help them feel more at ease.

Louisville OCD Treatment Options

Treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be divided into two categories: psychotherapy and medication.

Psychotherapy

In psychotherapy, a person learns to recognize and change the ways they think and feel about their obsessions and compulsions. This helps them to stop doing things that they do not want to do and to start doing things they do want to do. The goal of psychotherapy is not just to have fewer OCD symptoms but also to become happier and more confident in general.

Louisville Addiction Center offers different psychotherapy services including: 

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy: CBT focuses on changing negative thoughts into positive ones.
• Dialectical behavioral therapy: DBT works on coping and reactions to stressful situations.
• Holistic therapy: Holistic therapy focuses on healing the individual as a whole and encourages healthy ways to cope with stress. We offer many activities including meditation and yoga.

Medication

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are commonly prescribed for OCD. SSRIs and SNRIs work by increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain, which helps to improve symptoms of OCD.

Medications can help reduce symptoms like anxiety, depression, and stress that occur alongside OCD. They may also encourage positive thinking, and encourage someone to think differently about themselves. As a result, these medications reduce obsessions, and compulsions so people live with less distress from such behaviors and thoughts.

Get Quality OCD Treatment in Louisville, KY

If you or someone you know has been suffering from symptoms of OCD, we are here to help. Louisville Addiction Center provides comprehensive treatment for OCD through our expert team of counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists.

Our approach to treating OCD is based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which teaches you how to change the way you think about things so you can change the way you feel about them. Louisville Addiction Center specializes in helping clients find the right treatment options for their specific needs and goals.

Contact us today to learn more about our Louisville OCD treatment options.