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What is it?
Obsessive Compulsive Behavior (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is an anxiety
disorder where obsessions (unnecessary recurrent fears, thoughts, or mental
images) and compulsions (actions performed repeatedly to relieve anxiety or
avoid an imagined threat) impair a person’s ability to function and/or where
they suffer emotional pain.
What causes it?
The best guess for the cause of OCD involves improper functioning of the brain
chemical serotonin. This condition appears to be passed genetically within
families, although its presence is often kept secret, and can begin quite early
in life.
How do you know when someone has it?
Some symptoms of OCD include:
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Repeatedly forcing oneself to think new thoughts to displace an obsession
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Unnecessary rituals or repeated acts, such as re-cleaning or re-straightening
something, washing hands, counting, etc.
What can happen to people with Obsessive Compulsive Behavior?
It generally depends on whether or not people receive treatment. With the
proper treatment, individuals can usually function normally without the normal
severe emotional pain. In the absence of treatment, however, the sufferer often
alternates between mild and more severe periods for the rest of their life.
How do you help a loved one suffering from OCD?
Normal treatment for OCD involves therapy and often medicine. A common
objective of the therapy is to face the fears that cause the anxiety and learn
to address them without resorting to the rituals and nervous habits of the
past. Certain antidepressant medicines have also been effective for some
individuals with OCD as well.
How CERTS helps those with OCD
CERTS therapists have experience in successfully treating individuals with OCD.
This is done through a combination of therapy and medication, where
appropriate. Their success is augmented by the CERTS formula of balancing
outstanding clinical therapy, experiential therapy, and education, along with
appropriate medical care.
Experiential therapy programs (such as equine therapy) offered at the
facilities have also proven helpful. A fun and challenging academic education
enhances self-esteem and encourages students to rediscover the joy of learning
while they clinically stabilize. To learn more about which CERTS program can
best offer the help you may require, please contact a CERTS admissions
counselor at 801-755-8802.
Learn More About OCD
American
Psychiatric Association
Kid’s Health
National
Institute of Mental Health
New York Presbyterian Hospital
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