Archive for Anxiety
OCD Stockholm Syndrome
The “Stockholm Syndrome” is a term used to describe the phenomenon of hostages defending their captors. As a psychotherapist specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), I have seen something akin to the Stockholm Syndrome many times. Clients struggling with this issue often have a mysterious internal debate that goes something like this:
“If I hate OCD so much, why do I fight so hard to keep it around? Maybe my OCD is a good thing. Maybe I need my OCD. After all, If I am not my OCD, then who am I?”
This scenario typically (although not always) presents itself several months into therapy, long after the client has gained some autonomy from their OCD through the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Athletes With Anxiety
Last week, we discussed recent news reports about professional baseball players struggling with Social Anxiety. This week, we broaden the topic to cover athletes in numerous sports with various anxiety disorders. Second of a two-part series.
As we noted last week and in prior posts, the past few years have seen a significant increase in the number of professional baseball players going on the disabled list due to Social Anxiety. This trend is remarkable for numerous reasons, the most noteworthy being that the issue of mental health in baseball is being openly discussed at all. The overall issue of mental health has long been shrouded in secrecy and shame, leading many public figures to go to great lengths in order to ensure that their mental health issues remain private. So when professional baseball players not only acknowledge their psychological issues, but actively seek help for them, this is a sign of cultural progress. › Continue reading
Treatment of OCD and Anxiety: A Brief History
As long as people have been having thoughts, they have been having unwanted ones. For most people, unwanted thoughts are little more than a nuisance or a curiosity. But for those with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and related anxiety disorders, these thoughts can be a debilitating nightmare. Unwanted thoughts often trigger unwanted emotions (anxiety, panic), which in turn lead to compulsive attempts to avoid, suppress, and control these emotions.
Traditional Treatment Strategies for OCD and Anxiety
Before the development of psychological treatments, disorders such as OCD and other anxiety conditions were often considered spiritual problems. The sanctioned response was to do your compulsions harder and more frequently. And for those who drew too much attention, a not uncommon result was persecution, imprisonment, or being subjected to brutal, misguided experiments. › Continue reading
Proposed DSM-5 Changes for OCD and Anxiety Disorders
There have long been rumblings that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) was undertaking a thorough review of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). The ostensible goal of such a review would be to create a more accurate and in-depth edition of the DSM, which was last updated in 1994.
After ten years of ongoing debate, the numerous APA work groups investigating potential revisions to various diagnoses and categories to be included in a planned fifth edition have presented their suggestions to the APA. Some of these changes are likely to be as controversial as current classifications in the DSM-IV, while others will pass barely noticed into the new DSM-5 (for example, the switch away from Roman numerals in the title). A number of these proposed changes directly impact conditions treated here at the OCD Center of Los Angeles. To wit: › Continue reading
Phobia Treatment in Unconventional Settings
Anyone with a phobia knows what it is like to feel terrified of something that most people take for granted. Whether it be cynophobia (fear of dogs), hemophobia (fear of blood), or claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), the presentation is basically the same – when faced with the event, object or situation that is the focus of their fear, the individual with the phobia is often terrified to the point of experiencing a panic attack. › Continue reading
OCD & Anxiety: The Year 2009 in Review
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and anxiety were in the news throughout 2009. Some news was good, some bad, and some flat-out ugly. Here are our votes for the top stories of the year related to OCD, Social Anxiety, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Trichotillomania, Phobias, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): › Continue reading
Emetophobia and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
The OCD Center of Los Angeles often receives calls from people seeking treatment for various phobias. One of the most common phobias we treat is emetophobia – the intense fear of vomit and/or vomiting.
Most people who call us with emetophobia are initially quite surprised to learn that this problem has a name, and often equally surprised to learn that they are not the only person in the world to suffer with it. › Continue reading
Parenting a Child With OCD
Parenting any child is a full-time job. But parenting a child with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can be particularly challenging. Unfortunately, research is now confirming what any clinician specializing in the treatment of OCD already knows – that parents often inadvertently contribute to their child’s OCD. › Continue reading
Subscribe
Recent Posts
Topics
OCD Archives
Links
Contact
