Treatment for body-focused OCD is paradoxical and involves intentionally leaning into your symptoms rather than away from them.This post is the last in a series of posts discussing body-focused obsessions and compulsions (aka, sensorimotor, somatosensory, or somatic...
People with body-focused, sensorimotor OCD often worry about the underlying causes of their symptoms and how long their symptoms will last.This post is the second in a series of posts discussing body-focused obsessions and compulsions (aka, sensorimotor,...
Body-focused, or sensorimotor, obsessions involve hyperawareness of automatic bodily activities (e.g., breathing or swallowing). Individuals with this type of OCD get "stuck" analyzing how often and how “completely” these processes have occurred.This post is the first...
The most effective treatment for OCD, exposure and response prevention (ERP), is built on a combination of cognitive and behavioral strategies.Question: To what extent would a change of mindset (e.g., changing my expectations for myself) be helpful in recovering from...
You are not your OCD. One important part of OCD treatment involves recognizing that your symptoms do not define you.Question: Because many of my OCD rituals are related to my professional identity, I'm worried that changing my rituals will somehow change those parts...
Some individuals with Pure-O OCD use "starting over", "resetting", or "undoing" compulsions to wipe the mental slate clean.Question: It's hard to describe this, but I feel like every few days I need to mentally "start over" by doing a variety of mental and behavioral...
Worried about feeling sick as a dog? You might be experiencing health anxiety, an umbrella term which is associated with several different underlying conditions.Think about the most significant health scare you have ever experienced. Then multiply this experience by a...
Agoraphobia might not be what you think it is. Contrary to popular opinion, agoraphobia is the fear of having physical symptom attacks in situations where escape might be difficult or embarrassing.Let's dispel a common misconception about agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is...
Believe it or not, channeling your inner daredevil can actually help you fight social anxiety.When I was a kid, one form of mischief that was briefly popular in my neighborhood was crank calling strangers. Usually, the bravest kid in the group would pick up the phone,...
"OCD, I'd like you to meet my friend, D-cycloserine. D-cycloserine, this is OCD. I think you two should get to know each other a little better. You just might have a future together..."As someone who has long been enamored with basic science, I find it fascinating...
Symptoms of depression can be emotional, social, occupational, or physical.Signs of depression can be obvious or subtle, but regardless, they often severely impact your quality of life. For help in addressing your symptoms of depression, seek the assistance of a...
Which of the people above is depressed? It may be impossible to tell... Signs of depression are not always obvious.For some individuals with major depressive disorder, signs of depression can be pretty obvious. Depressive symptoms can be utterly disabling and leave...
Regardless of the origins of your child's school refusal, it is important to consider a separate parent-related factor that maintains school refusal: your fear of being perceived as a "bad parent".Like any other behavior, school refusal does not have a singular cause....
School refusal is not a random event. There's usually a reason for why your child might resist going to school.With the summer quickly fading to black and the academic year looming largely, we will soon be entering the season of school refusal. When I use the term...
Although panic feels terrible, panic attacks are actually supported by activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which is associated with self-preservation.Panic attacks feel awful. However, despite the unpleasantness of panic attacks, we're actually lucky to have...
Panic has a secret ally. Although beneficial in many different contexts, this ally has the potential to dramatically increase your symptoms of panic and anxiety.If you have panic disorder or suffer from panic attacks, chances are you might be inadvertently doing one...
Because many other conditions can mimic or exacerbate test anxiety, it is important to undergo a thorough diagnostic evaluation before beginning treatment.When considering treatment for test-taking anxiety, make sure that you have a comprehensive diagnostic assessment...
Many untreated anxious test-takers give up desired career opportunities for less evaluatively-laden roads that are more easily traveled.Although most of us (at one point or another) have experienced significant fear, uncertainty, or dread about an upcoming examination...
The obsessions experienced by individuals with "Pure-O" OCD are commonly accompanied by mental compulsions.As a follow-up to my previous post on Pure-O OCD, I thought it might be helpful to identify some obsessions that are commonly reported by individuals with Pure...
Pure-O OCD (Pure Obsessional OCD) is associated with hidden mental compulsions that interfere with treatment effectiveness."Pure-O" OCD, or Pure Obsessional OCD, is a relatively less common form of OCD that seemingly differs from classic presentations of the illness....
Obsessions and compulsions in OCD are related via a positive feedback loop.Question: How does ERP work? What mechanism underlies it? Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are disturbing thoughts, images, or...
OCD is associated with deficits in decision-making on cognitive tasks.Does OCD affect decision making processes? Now that we have reviewed the neurobiological and cognitive abnormalities associated with OCD, what relevance might this have for predicting abnormalities...
Cognitive abnormalities associated with OCD have been documented within the domains of basic learning processes, attention, and executive functioning.What cognitive deficits are associated with OCD? Cognitive abnormalities associated with OCD have been documented...
OCD is associated with pervasive disruptions in frontal subcortical circuitry.What causes OCD? Researchers have had much recent success in elucidating the neural circuitry involved in OCD. Advances in functional neuroimaging have identified robust alterations in...
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that affects about 2.5% of the population.What is OCD? Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating mental illness that affects nearly 2.5% of the population (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). ...
"Intentional Mistake Practice" can be used to challenge the problematic perfectionistic beliefs that are core to social anxiety and OCD.Looking for ways to overcome social anxiety or OCD-related perfectionism? At the end of this post, you'll find some strategies I...
Perfectionism is likely to be helpful in moderation but increasingly problematic when taken to extremes.There is more than one type of perfectionist. First, there is the adaptive perfectionist. This perfectionist is the prototypical workaholic student/employee who...
Panic attacks are associated with accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling, choking or smothering sensations, chest pain, nausea or GI problems, dizziness, lightheadedness, feelings of unreality or detachment from one's body, numbness or tingling sensations,...
OCD is associated with an intolerance for uncertainty. Help your child by not feeding the reassurance monster.Many excellent parents struggle with how to appropriately parent their child with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Unfortunately, this process is rarely...
To recover from trichotillomania ("trich"), retire ineffectual strategies and find a psychologist who practices habit reversal training (HRT).Imagine that you have a rather large blemish right in the middle of your forehead. It's not one of those pseudo-invisible...
