OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, has become more and more popular in recent years. People often refer to it in a rather colloquial language and say things like “I am a bit OCD” when they have a habit of tidying up often and excessively or arranging certain objects on their desks in a symmetric way.
However, a TV series like Monk has led to a wrong notion of the illness in our society. OCD is a disease that has to be taken seriously. Sufferers experience extremely high levels of anxiety that interfere with their daily functioning. But how can someone who asks himself “do I have OCD” find an answer on this question?
Do I Have OCD?
There are certain signs of OCD that make it possible to identify the disease. Typically patients experience two symptoms that constitute the condition of OCD. These two symptoms are obsessions and compulsions.
What Are Obsessions?
Obsessions are thoughts, images or urges that are recurring in a high frequency. They are experienced as unwanted or intrusive and are the cause of distress for the sufferer. While persons try to ignore them or neutralize them with certain behavior or other thoughts, they stick in their minds.
What Are Compulsions?
Compulsions, on the other hand, are behaviors or acts of thinking that are repetitive. Sufferers experience them to be necessary to neutralize the obsessions. It is characteristic for compulsions to be conducted excessively. Often they do not even have a logical or realistic connection to the thoughts patients fear.
An Example of OCD
A typical example is the frequent washing of his hands by a patient. After touching a doorknob the OCD sufferer might experience a thought like: “the knob was dirty and I could have infected myself with aids now”. While it is highly unlikely to be true this thought nevertheless triggers a high amount of anxiety and fear. This leads the person to perform a certain action, namely the hand washing.
After having washed his hands for the first time the sufferer will experience some relief only to experience an even higher amount of anxiety and fear in the time afterward. This new anxiety triggers the sufferer to wash his hands again and again. The sufferer finds himself in a vicious cycle that he is unable to break out from. In many cases, therapy is then the best option for the patient to regain his ability to function in a normal and healthy way.
OCD Treatment Program
If you think you have OCD – or are experiencing the systems, there are a few treatment options available for you:
- Dual diagnosis treatment
- Extended 90-day program
- Aftercare
- OCD treatment program
If you ask yourself “do I have OCD?” or are sure about it you can find help in our OCD treatment program. By working together with professionals you learn how to deal with OCD and take your life back from the disease. You will obtain more about the disease and its causes. Moreover, you will be given powerful techniques that enable you to fight OCD effectively. It is the best option to quickly and profoundly beat OCD. Contact us directly at 866.262.0531 and start your treatment.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
