The Lawrence Wellness Center provides OCD treatment that gets results. We utilize the latest science to help people overcome Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and live a full life. Effective psychological treatments are available to those who are suffering from this debilitating disorder.
What is OCD?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is primarily characterized by obsessions and/or compulsions. Obsessions are repetitive thoughts, impulses or images that are anxiety provoking. They occur against one’s will, and are intrusive and persistent.
Some examples of obsessions are:
Thoughts that objects or other people might be “contaminated” by contact
Fears and doubts that doors have been left unlocked or appliances have been left on
Important materials have been thrown away
Unwanted urges or impulses to do something harmful
Horrific or upsetting images having to do with religious figures or sexual thoughts
For people with OCD, the fear or other unpleasant emotions are out of proportion to the actual risk. Thus, they can carry out compulsions to rid themselves of the worry. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental rituals that the person feels forced or compelled into doing, in order to relieve anxiety.
Examples of compulsions include:
hand-washing, showering, or cleaning to remove “contamination”
checking to prevent feared dangers
repeating actions or thoughts to prevent a catastrophic event from happening
having to arrange objects in a particular way
needing repeated reassurance from others that a feared event has not or cannot happen
repeating phrases or images in one’s mind to prevent a catastrophe
OCD is more common than schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or anorexia, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Yet, it is still commonly overlooked by mental health professionals and people who themselves have the disorder.
Is There OCD Treatment?
Effective psychological treatments are available to those who are suffering from this debilitating disorder. One of these interventions is a special form of cognitive behavior therapy called Exposure and Response Prevention. OCD treatment at The Lawrence Wellness Center consists of Exposure and Response Prevention, which is exposing a person to the obsessions and then preventing the usual response.
Over time, the person becomes accustomed to the discomfort and the obsession becomes less intense. This treatment is difficult in that the person has to face their fears, but it is effective with almost 75% of people no longer qualifying for this disorder following treatment.
Our goal is to make the treatment work as quickly as possible, so that people can live their life to the fullest as quickly as possible.
We break the mold of traditional therapy by getting out of the office and into the situations that cause anxiety. We do all of this in a caring manner with high expectations for change.