NC OCD Support Durham
Our OCD Support Services include a thorough assessment to help us learn about your history living with OCD as well as any co-occurring disorders, such as depression, anxiety or even, ADHD.
While diagnoses are not unimportant, they are not the most important part of treatment. However, they can help us determine which path(s) of treatment make the most sense for you.
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) when conducted in a consent-based format collaboratively between client and clinician can be highly effective. EMDR, DBT, and Somatic therapies are also good adjunctive treatments. All are available here at Essential.
Zoe Bronstein-Paritz and Leon Monroe are our OCD clinicians. Ben Pruitt provides EMDR care.
Facts about OCD
1
OCD is frequently misunderstood as a personality quirk about cleanliness.
In reality, it’s a debilitating disorder driven by torturous intrusive thoughts and hidden mental rituals, rather than just physical actions.
2
Most people who experience OCD know what they are experiencing is "irrational", but that is not enough to make it stop.
Although CBT and ACT has been shown to effective for some, the the brain's alarm system misfires, makes the symptoms feel overwhelmingly real, resulting in a need for somatic therapies and/or ERP.
3
What are the different types of OCD?
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Checking, characterized by a constant need to check whether the oven is off, or homework is completed, for instance.
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Contamination, marked by fear of germs, dirt or mental contamination, as well as repetitive washing, cleaning and disinfecting.
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Symmetry and ordering, the need to arrange things in a particular manner to avoid distress.
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Rumination, or intrusive thoughts that are often religious, violent or sexual in nature.
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Hoarding, or the compulsive need to collect and keep possessions.
4
What is the difference between obsessions and compulsions?
Obsessions are distressing unwanted thoughts, images, feelings, sensations, or urges. Compulsions are the repetitive behaviors (both mental and physical) that a person does in order to relieve the distress that comes from the obsessions or to prevent something unwanted from happening. They might involve repeating a certain phrase, excessive hand washing or avoiding certain situations.
