859-681-7823Obsessive-compulsive disorder, widely referred to as “OCD” affects a large number of Americans each year. This common mental health condition shows up as uncontrollable and repetitive actions, thoughts, obsessions, or compulsions. These obsessions and compulsions are often coupled with intrusive thoughts that deepen feelings of anxiety and dread. This results in people acting on their compulsions and obsessions in an effort to prevent something “bad” from happening.
While OCD can be a burden to endure, there is hope. Lexington Addiction Center has the tools necessary to help a person suffering from OCD. We can help them reclaim their freedom and ease the impact their symptoms have on their lives. By seeking OCD treatment in Lexington, a person can learn healthy coping mechanisms and life skills, as well as experience various therapy and treatment options. We offer services aimed at helping them achieve their recovery goals.
What is OCD?
OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, is a mental health condition that involves an unshakable feeling that forces people to undertake thoughts and actions that they do not necessarily want to participate in. Those who suffer from OCD may find it difficult to live their everyday lives without the condition affecting them negatively. Many OCD sufferers have difficulty maintaining success in their careers or school work due to the disorder.
Others are affected negatively in areas of their lives involving friendships, family relationships, and romantic partners. Those suffering from OCD often comply with these intrusive thoughts due to the fact that they have overwhelming feelings of “impending doom” or that “something bad will happen” if they do not comply with the intrusive thoughts or actions.
These thoughts and actions often manifest themselves in the form of rituals, habits, actions, and thought patterns that are repetitive and uncontrollable in nature. OCD itself can be broken down into two groups: obsessions and compulsions.
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OCD obsessions involve repetitive urges, states of mind, intrusive thoughts, and mental images that cause major worry or concern in the sufferer. These symptoms include:
- Counting
- Planning
- Verbal repetition
- Intrusive thoughts
- Symmetrical obsession
- Thoughts of violence directed at themselves or others
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OCD compulsions involve repetitive actions, rituals, and urges. OCD sufferer feels they must comply with compulsions in order to remain “in control” or to prevent a tragedy. These manifest in symptoms that include, but are not limited to:
- Tapping
- Cleaning
- Hand washing
- Nail biting or cuticle picking
- Organizing or arranging/re-arranging of inanimate objects
- Checking (door locks, stove tops, etc.)
Both obsessions and compulsive behaviors are common among those who do not suffer from OCD. However, an OCD sufferer has several distinct traits. Those suffering from OCD do not get pleasure from their compulsions and obsessions. Rather, they feel obligated to perform them, lest something bad happens.
Furthermore, those suffering from OCD repeat these processes daily, often for an hour or more a day. Sufferers of OCD also may know that their actions and thoughts are excessive, and may not solve anything, but still feel obligated to perform them. Another trait of those suffering from OCD is their obsessions or compulsion which have a negative effect on their school work, career, or social life.
Types of OCD
While many people who suffer from OCD may experience similar signs and symptoms, there are five subcategories in which most forms of OCD fall into. This does not mean that a person suffering from one sub-type cannot exhibit traits from another or even develop traits associated with a different sub-type over a period of time. Many people suffering from OCD find their obsessions and compulsions growing more and more severe and life-altering as time with no effective relief or treatment goes on.
The five most common subcategories of OCD include:
Anxiety, compulsion, and obsession surrounding a need to constantly check and re-check something out of fear that harm may be caused if they fail to do so. This may include checking locks, stove tops, and lights, for example.
This stems from anxiety, compulsions, and obsessions surrounding illness, germs, toxins, and other forms of contamination. This may involve extreme levels of cleanliness or compulsory hand washing or hand sanitizing.
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted ideas, images, or mental states of being that cause anxiety, fear, and stress. This form may involve constant obsession over a real or imagined idea or threat.
Organizational OCD involves the need for order, symmetry, and other forms of structure. This can show up as arrangement, planning, or needing coordination.
- Rumination includes intrusive thoughts that are sometimes pleasurable rather than distressing. This may cause a person to spend a great deal of time pondering a given idea or past event in a self-indulgent state. This can lead to feelings of anxiety and distress as these indulgences turn into obsessions.
How We Treat OCD At Lexington Addiction Center
At Lexington Addiction Center, we understand how difficult day-to-day life can be while living with an untreated obsessive-compulsive disorder. Fortunately, we offer options and treatment modalities to help someone or their loved one recover. This can also help them develop healthy coping mechanisms, and live a life free from the hardships of OCD.
OCD treatment in Lexington is the first step in one’s journey to lasting recovery. Included in our options for OCD treatment in Lexington are:
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Cognitive-behavioral therapy involves the altering of negative thought patterns. CBT therapy focuses on identifying these patterns and their causes. This, it works to replace these negative patterns with healthy thought processes and coping mechanisms. The end result is positive outcomes and habits.
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Like CBT, dialectical behavior therapy helps those struggling with intense emotions or negative feelings. DBT helps people learn to regulate their emotions, better understand their feelings, and learn to manage them safely and effectively.
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Trauma therapy helps those who have experienced trauma in their lives (often resulting in the development of OCD) to overcome their past experiences. As a result, they can learn effective coping mechanisms, and relieve the stress trauma can create.
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Holistic therapies involve treating the person as a whole rather than only focusing on their mental health condition. Holistic therapy includes yoga, meditation, Reiki, outdoor activities, exercise, and nutritional education to strengthen a person’s mind, body, and soul simultaneously.
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These forms of therapy allow our clients to get the individual attention and care that they deserve. Individual therapy involves one-on-one interaction with a therapist to help get to the root causes of OCD. Family therapy can be greatly beneficial in establishing a strong support system, while simultaneously strengthening familial bonds.
Find Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Relief in Kentucky Today
At Lexington Addiction Center, we have the tools necessary to help you recover safely and effectively from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Our knowledgeable and compassionate staff of professionals are available to help you during every step of your recovery journey.
Here at Lexington Addiction Center, we understand how impactful a mental health condition like OCD can be on a person’s life. Fortunately, we also know that through proven and effective treatment, those suffering from OCD can find relief, and live a life free from the hardships that mental health disorders can bring. There has never been a better time to find relief from your OCD symptoms.
Contact us about OCD treatment in Lexington today, and take the first steps in your journey to lasting wellness.
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