OCD Spectrum
Disorders We Treat
The OCD Resource Center of Florida specializes high-quality, state-of-the-art, cognitive-behavioral treatment services for the following disorders:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, (OCD), is characterized by “obsessions,” which are frequent, persistent unwanted thoughts about, for example, the possibility of causing danger or harm to oneself or others, which cause great distress. Typical obsessive thoughts involve dangers from dirt, germs, disease, or may involve the need to do things “just right,” or “perfectly.” “Compulsions” are distressing, repetitive behaviors that the sufferer feels they must perform over and over, taking excessive amounts of time and interfering with normal life. Examples of compulsions include frequent hand washing, cleaning or checking over and over to make sure, for example, that doors are perfectly locked perfectly, stoves and the iron are off. OCD affects 2-3% of the U.S. population, about 4-7 million or one out of 40 persons, and afflicts persons in all cultures and walks of life. It occurs equally in men and women, and the World Health Organization has named OCD as the 11th leading cause of non-fatal disability worldwide.
Treatment of OCD involves exposure and response prevention (ERP) — considered the “gold standard” for the effective treatment of OCD. While OCD tends to be a chronic disorder, OCD is a very treatable and patients can achieve lifelong effective management of the disorder. Depending upon the severity of the problem, most cases of OCD can be effectively treated in 6-18 sessions of weekly treatment. For more severe cases of OCD, the center offers the Intensive Program for OCD – a 15 day outpatient program, which is highly effective in reducing OCD symptoms for many OCD sufferers.
Contact the center about a consultation or appointment regarding OCD. Learn more about OCD symptoms and OCD treatment…
Pure Obsessionals
“Pure Obsessional” OCD is a common sub-type of OCD involving the fear of horrific, violent or sexually abhorrent thoughts and the possibility of acting upon them. The thoughts are persistent, unwanted, intrusive and totally uncharacteristic of the person having them. Compulsions are common in these persons, though they may be more subtle and less overt than other forms of OCD. Feelings of extreme shame, embarrassment and isolation often accompany this form of OCD.
Contact the center about a consultation or appointment for Pure Obsessional OCD.
Hoarding
Hoarding OCD involves the acquisition of and inability to discard useless possessions and objects that most persons would consider “junk.” results in the unmanageability of one’s personal living space. Patients with hoarding OCD are overly attached to useless objects and their homes may become, over time, a health or fire hazard. They report significant distress or impairment from their hoarding. An estimated 700,000 to 1.4 million people in the United States are believed to have compulsive hoarding OCD.
Cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) of hoarding involves exposure and response prevention (ERP). That is, patients gradually expose themselves to the objects or situations that cause them anxiety (having to throw something away, or make a decision about what to do with a specific object). They are then supported as they resist the urge to respond in their usual way (by keeping something or avoiding making a decision) until the anxiety diminishes. With repeated practice, E&RP will extinguish the fear of losing something important and increase a person’s ability to resist the urge to keep things. Treatment may take place in the patient’s home, or, if they live too far away, treatment can effectively be carried out in the therapist’s office. Many compulsive hoarders have very poor insight into their illness, with little awareness of how much the hoarding and clutter have impacted their lives. However, when patients show motivation and a true desire for change, CBT procedures can be very effective.
Contact the center about a consultation or appointment for Hoarding OCD.
OCD Spectrum Disorders
These are disorders that are related to OCD in the sense that they often occur concurrently in persons with more classic OCD symptoms:
Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania (also referred to as “trich”) is a disorder characterized by the non-cosmetic pulling of one’s hair, resulting in significant hair loss. It occurs more frequently in women and is commonly associated with considerable distress. Hair is most commonly pulled from the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, beard, and pubic area, though hair from any part of the body may be pulled. It is common for persons with trich to play with and/or ingest the pulled hairs. Sufferers are often embarrassed and ashamed of their behavior and resulting appearance. Often, those with trich engage in other damaging body-focus% of males and 3.5% of females in the U.S. engage in clinically significant non-cosmetic hair pulling in their lifetime. Effective treatment for Trich include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). The components of CBT most useful for Trich includes awareness training — identifying the precise emotional and situational factors that trigger hair pulling and habit reversal training — a skill that helps to interrupt and redirect responses to those triggers. Some hair pullers have had success with simple behavioral devices such as putting bandages on their fingers to interfere with pulling, keeping records of their hair pulling, or changing environmental cues that can trigger pulling.
Contact the center about a consultation or appointment for Trichotillomania. Learn more about trichotillomania…
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD, or dysmorphophobia) is a disorder characterized by the obsessive preoccupation with a body part or minor defect in their appearance that is imagined to be extremely ugly and disfiguring. The sufferer may complain of several specific features or a single feature, or a vague feature or general appearance, causing psychological distress that impairs occupational and/or social functioning, sometimes to the point of complete social isolation. It is estimated that between 1%-2% of the world’s population meet all the diagnostic criteria for BDD and is more prominently seen in women. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, (CBT) including exposure and response prevention (ERP), and cognitive therapy are the approaches to BDD known to be effective in reducing symptoms.
Contact the center about a consultation or appointment for Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Learn more about BDD…
Additional Disorders We Treat:
Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia
Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia involves an abrupt, “out-of-the-blue” onset of intense fear that reaches a peak within a few minutes and includes at least four of the following symptoms:
- a feeling of imminent danger or doom
- the need to escape
- heart palpitations
- sweating
- trembling
- shortness of breath or a smothering feeling
- a feeling of choking
- chest pain or discomfort
- nausea or abdominal discomfort
- dizziness or lightheadedness
- a sense of things being unreal, depersonalization
- a fear of losing control or “going crazy”
- a fear of dying
- tingling sensation
- chills or heat flush
Suffers of panic disorder often develop a preoccupation and fear of a recurring attack. Panic attacks occur unexpectedly, sometimes even during sleep. When the fear of a recurring attack interferes with normal functioning or severely restricts day to day life, agoraphobia may occur in approximately 35% of all cases of panic disorder. Agoraphobia refers to the preoccupation with being in a safe place where or avoiding situations where easy escape is not possible. As a result, sufferers of agoraphobia may avoid public and/or unfamiliar places. In severe cases, the sufferer may become confined to their home, experiencing difficulty traveling from this “safe place” or outside of their “comfort zone.”
The treatment of choice for panic disorder is usually a combination of medications, specifically serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs, and cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT). The specific form of CBT considered most effective is called Interoceptive Exposure, which helps decrease the sufferer’s fear of panic attacks and thus dramatically reduces them. In a study by Barlow & Craske (1989), 87% of the individuals that participated in the two of four treatments that involved Interoceptive Exposure were free of panic at the end of treatment and these results were maintained at a 2-year follow up.
Contact the center about a consultation or appointment for Panic Disorder. Our center offers an intensive cognitive behavioral program for panic disorder with and without agoraphobia. You can read more about our treatment program for panic disorder.
Health Anxiety
Health anxiety, also called hypochondria, involves an abnormal, excessive concerns about ones health. People who have health anxiety misinterpret normal bodily signals as signs of dangerous medical problems, e.g. a racing heart to be a sign of a heart attack. The anxious will visit the doctor multiple times for reassurance, but continue to believe there’s a problem despite being told they are perfectly fine. These obsessions contain similarities to the contamination fears and checking rituals common in OCD. Learn more about health-anxiety…
Social Phobia
Social Phobia — also known as “social anxiety disorder” — involves a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being judged by others and of potentially being embarrassed or humiliated by one’s own actions. These fears can be triggered by perceived or actual scrutiny by others. While the fear of social interaction may be recognized by the person as excessive or unreasonable, considerable difficulty can be encountered overcoming it. Social Phobia involves excessive anxiety in social situations causing abnormally levels of distress and an impaired ability to function in at least some areas of daily life. The diagnosis can involve two types, specific social phobia, which involves fear in only some particular situations (such as public speaking or using public bathrooms — a condition called paruresis or “shy bladder syndrome”) or a generalized disorder, involving any or all social situations where one may be scrutinized. Approximately 13.3 percent of the general population may meet criteria for social phobia at some point in their lifetime, according to the highest survey estimate, with the male to female ratio being 1:1.5. Research has shown cognitive behavior therapy, whether individually or in a group, to be effective in treating social phobia. The cognitive and behavioral components seek to change thought patterns and physical reactions to anxious situations. Medications can also help social phobia — specifically two classes of antidepressants are known to help: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
Contact the center about a consultation or appointment for Social Phobia.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable and often irrational worry about everyday things in a manner that is disproportionate to the actual source of worry. This excessive worry often interferes with daily functioning, as individuals suffering GAD typically catastrophise, anticipate disaster, and are overly concerned about everyday matters such as health issues, money, family problems, friend problems or work difficulties. They often exhibit a variety of physical symptoms, including fatigue, headaches, nausea, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, insomnia, and hot flashes. These symptoms must be consistent and ongoing, persisting at least 6 months, for a formal diagnosis of GAD to be introduced. Approximately 6.8 million American adults experience GAD.
While medications (SSRIs) may play an important role in the treatment of GAD, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the treatment of choice for GAD. The goal of the therapy is to change negative thought patterns that lead to the patient’s anxiety, replacing them with positive, more realistic ones. Elements of the therapy include exposure strategies to allow the patient to gradually confront their anxieties and feel more comfortable in anxiety-provoking situations, as well as to practice the skills they have learned. CBT can be used alone or in conjunction with medication.
Contact the center about a consultation or appointment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Specific Phobia
Specific Phobia is an unreasonable or irrational fear related to exposure to specific objects or situations. As a result, the affected persons will often show signs of fear or express discomfort and tend to actively avoid direct contact with the objects or situations. The anxiety and avoidance are difficult to control and may significantly impair person’s functioning and even physical health. “In vivo exposure” (facing your fears directly in gradual, controlled steps) is the treatment of choice for phobias.
Contact the center about a consultation or appointment for a Specific Phobia.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to one or more terrifying events that threatened or caused grave physical harm. It is a severe and ongoing emotional reaction to an extreme psychological trauma. This stressor may involve someone’s actual death, a threat to the patient’s or someone else’s life, serious physical injury, or threat to physical or psychological integrity, overwhelming usual psychological defenses coping. In some cases it can also be from profound psychological and emotional trauma, apart from any actual physical harm. Often, however, the two are combined.
The symptoms of PTSD include: persistent re-experiencing of the traumatic event in the form of “flashbacks” and nightmares. There is persistent avoidance of people, places and situations associated with the trauma, including discussions that may trigger flashbacks and re-experiencing symptoms. There is typically a strong fear of losing control. PTSD sufferers often experience symptoms of increased arousal including difficulty falling or staying asleep, heightened irritability, anger and hypervigilance.. There usually is significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (e.g. problems with work and relationships.)
Cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) that includes components such as exposure therapy (gradually and safely facing your fears — “baby steps” under therapeutic guidance), prolonged imaginal exposure (safely reliving the trauma using imagery), stress management training, in vivo exposure (facing the situations you avoid) and cognitive-restructuring (retraining your dysfunctional thoughts) has been demonstrated as highly effective for patients with PTSD.
Contact the center about a consultation or appointment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.