Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a common, chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and/or behaviors (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over.
In terms of how many people it afflicts, lifetime prevalence among adults in the United States is 2.3%.
Sometimes seen as a quirky personality trait, OCD is anything but quirky for those living with it.
The obsessions that define it take over the mind completely, creating a cloud of noise that increases in size and volume. The anxiety and stress which ensues is only relieved when you do whatever it is your OCD dictates.
It’s like you’re being held captive, your mind making you a hostage until you give in to its demands. Without working addressing and actively working against it, OCD can become so intense and so time consuming that it serves to wreak havoc on the rest of your life, interfering with all aspects of it from work to school to personal relationships. You feel like you’re genuinely not in control until you hit that release valve.
OCD isn’t just a little bit of an excessive attention to detail or task repetition. It’s not a choice someone is actively making to constantly think about the same thing. So, what exactly is it then?
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a common, chronic and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and/or behaviors (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over.
In terms of how many people it afflicts, lifetime prevalence among adults in the United States is 2.3%.
At Thrive Treatment℠ we accept most private insurance plans and we are in network with Cigna, Optum, First Health, and Anthem Blue Cross. Additional payment options are available so don’t hesitate to give us a call so we can get you the help that you need.
1-855-232-1334
The disorder is broken down into symptoms that express themselves as obsessions and those that manifest as compulsions.
These are the thoughts that are persistently repeated ad nauseam, the urges or mental images that dramatically increase levels of anxiety and stress.
In the context of OCD, obsessions aren’t the same as when someone says they’re “obsessed” with a song or something along those lines. Obsessions that cross the line into OCD are stress inducing and cause real fear and discomfort.
As per a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), obsessions commonly fall into the following categories:
When people picture someone with OCD this is typically what they’re seeing. Compulsions are the repetitive behaviors that a person feels the urge and obligation to do in response to an obsessive thought. Actually going through with an action or repetitive behavior serves to soothe the nerves and quiet the anxiety for a short period of time.
These also are expressed in a handful of common ways:
If that seems like a lot, it’s because it is. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a lot.
The fact is people are consumed by OCD and the feeling of being taken hostage that we touched on serves to isolate a person. They withdraw from social settings and situations. Relationships are not only difficult to maintain but they’re difficult to start. None of that happens in a vacuum and the consequences can be dire.
The anxiety and stress that OCD creates, coupled with possible feelings of shame, can eventually make their way into depression.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) adds that “people with OCD may try to help themselves by avoiding situations that trigger their obsessions, or they may use alcohol or drugs to calm themselves”.
Coping mechanisms like substances become a false savior allowing a person to temporarily escape their OCD by way of drugs and alcohol. Self-medicating is never a good solution, in fact, it introduces the co-occurring problem of addiction. Though the range is broad, “estimates of the lifetime prevalence of a co-occurring substance abuse disorder (SUD) in individuals with OCD vary widely, from less than 10 percent to almost 40 percent”.
A study from the Journal of Anxiety Disorders related to the instances of substance abuse disorder in those with OCD showed that “70% of participants with comorbid SUDs reported that OCD preceded SUD onset by at least one year.”
Thrive Treatment℠ Center offers OCD treatment at our Santa Monica and Culver City locations in Los Angeles, California. Discover your personal path to recovery today.
There’s a line that is crossed when your obsessions and compulsions go from being manageable to overtaking your life. When a little worry about germs or order turns into something that takes all your time. It’s at that point that you or a loved one needs outside help.
When you find yourself retreating from life because your compulsions take precedence, it’s time to get assistance. And when that isolation leads to substance abuse, it’s imperative that you stop going it alone.
Successful treatment for OCD is predicated on personalized care under the guidance of mental health experts who truly understand Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Moreover, if OCD is something that led you or a loved one to drug or alcohol abuse it’s even more important that you’re at a facility that was built and designed to be able to deliver effective dual diagnosis treatment.
What you can expect from OCD treatment in Los Angeles at Thrive Treatment is an evidenced based approach that’s created to suit your needs. Talk therapy in the form of cognitive behavioral therapy plays a big part in teaching you how to deal with the obsessions and compulsions that have plagued you. In both individual and group therapy sessions, we work through the underlying issues and triggers of OCD and simultaneously tackle the substance abuse it may have caused.
All of that in the comfort of a warm environment and a caring staff.
At our OCD clinic in Los Angeles our Psychiatrist is board-certified in both General and Addiction Psychiatry and Our Medical Director is board-certified in Addiction Medicine, meaning there is arguably no better place to conquer and defeat your co-occurring OCD and substance abuse en route to a more gratifying and peaceful life.
If obsession and compulsion have taken control of your mind or you see your loved one trapped in that cage, reach out to us at Thrive Treatment and let us help you figure out the next steps.
1-855-232-1334
