Living with OCD can be incredibly overwhelming. Moreover, it can be hard for loved ones to understand how OCD affects someone. If you or someone you love is worried OCD is ruining your life, there are now OCD treatment programs to help recognize triggers and treat OCD with evidence-based and holistic therapies.
If you or someone in your life is struggling with OCD, Crestview Recovery can help. Our Portland, Oregon clinics provide safe and effective OCD treatment. Call us now at 866.262.0531 to learn more about our mental health treatment programs.
What Is OCD?
Obsessive-compulsive anxiety disorder, or OCD, is a compulsive disorder stemming from worries and fears. While OCD manifests differently in everyone, it results in repetitive, compulsive behaviors like hand washing, excessive organizing or cleaning, repetitive self-harm, or hoarding. For those living with OCD, repetitive actions like these help them feel in control of their repetitive and cyclical thought patterns.
Because OCD is an anxiety disorder, those living with compulsive thoughts often ruminate on the past or future. Their worries focus on how something happened in the past or something that might go wrong in the future. As a result, it’s hard for those living with OCD to focus on the present moment and calm their nervous system. Most people living with OCD experience an ebb and flow to their symptoms. Sometimes their anxiety will quiet down, while other times it can feel like their anxiety controls them. It’s important to seek tools, therapists, and support systems to help manage OCD and other anxiety disorders.
The more we learn about OCD, the better equipped we are to help ourselves or loved ones who are living with the disorder. Compassion and support can go a long way toward helping someone manage their anxiety. By understanding our own reactions and triggers, as well as recognizing signs of OCD in others, we can create a safe space for those dealing with this difficult disorder.
Can OCD Ruin Your Life?
For many people, it can feel like OCD is ruining your life. That’s why there are treatment approaches, support groups, and new ways to approach OCD. Perhaps you or a loved one have been told to “live with” your OCD. In reality, OCD can be a manifestation of other mood disorders, compounded stress, or unresolved trauma.
Treatment programs can help people unpack the cause of their anxiety and provide healing tools for anxiety relief. Here are some ways to start managing OCD at home:
- Practice meditation: For many people, sitting meditations can be daunting. Traditional meditation has four postures: sitting, standing, lying down, and walking. For those experiencing OCD, breaking patterns of anxiety through movement, a change in posture, and deep breathing can help.
- Learn your triggers: Everyone’s anxiety triggers are different. Get to know what brings you to the edge of anxiety and what pushes you over. By knowing triggers, you can establish better boundaries and seek support before an OCD episode.
- Go outside: Studies show time in nature can shift brain chemistry and calm the nervous system. Sometimes taking time from home, school, or the office can stop anxiety cycles and allow the nervous system to re-regulate.
- Talk to someone: Talk therapy is one of the best ways to manage and treat OCD, talk to a therapist and find a support group now.
One of the best approaches to dealing with OCD is coming back to the present moment. Breathing, talking, and recognizing anxiety can help bring a person into the present. Also, understanding that OCD is common and building a community with other people living with OCD can normalize anxiety and help people feel supported.
Treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder at Crestview Recovery
At Crestview Recovery, we believe in providing the best possible treatment for our clients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. We understand that OCD can be a difficult disorder to manage, so we provide individualized therapy plans tailored to the needs of each client.
Our experienced and compassionate staff use cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure and response prevention (ERP) to help our clients understand their experiences and learn how to better manage their symptoms. Through this therapy, our clients can gain control over their intrusive thoughts and behaviors, allowing them to live fuller, more rewarding lives. In addition to CBT and ERP, we also offer medication management services from a board-certified psychiatrist.
We provide both individual and group therapy, giving our clients the support they need to take back control of their lives from OCD. Our OCD treatment program is designed to help clients make meaningful changes in their lives while also providing the necessary tools for long-term recovery.
It’s time to let the staff at Crestview Recovery help. Portland’s Crestview Recovery can provide you with mental health support and an OCD treatment program that works. To learn more about our mental health programs, reach our staff now at 866.262.0531.
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.
