​Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is psychological problem in which individuals exhibit repetitive checking behaviors and/or report recurrent and persistent thoughts. Compulsions include checking to see if the door was locked, hand washing, putting things in a specific order, and mental acts such as counting.  CBT can alleviate these symptoms by teaching the individual coping skills or through more intensive treatments such as exposure with response prevention. Obsessions are persistent thoughts that are associated with anxiety and are usually difficult for the young adult or child to suppress. Often, children with OCD will perform compulsive behaviors to alleviate their obsessive thoughts, even though they know that the thought is irrational. As well, they will hide their compulsion from parents.

CBT can alleviate these symptoms by teaching coping skills or by use of more intensive treatments such as exposure with response prevention. Using graduated exposure exercises, clients learn to cope with anxiety provoking situations. Eventually, the anxiety is reduced to a more tolerable level.