Archive for Health
Binge Eating Disorder / Compulsive Overeating and Its Treatment
Binge Eating / Compulsive Overeating is a real problem that can be successfully treated
Binge Eating Disorder, also known as ‘”compulsive overeating”, can perhaps best be described as a condition in which one periodically consumes extremely large amounts of food. Individuals with Binge Eating Disorder have a strong motivational drive for food and experience great difficulty in their attempts to restrain their eating. They frequently continue eating well beyond their satiation level, with many reporting that their behavior feels “unconscious”, and that they have little control over it. It appears that compulsive overeating is often done in response to emotional difficulties or psychosocial stressors. Unfortunately, during and after a binge, one is often left feeling more depressed, anxious and helpless than they did before they overate.
In addition to the psychological issues noted above, some researchers and theoreticians believe that compulsive overeating has played a significant role in the dramatic increase in obesity levels in the Untied States over the past 30 years. Obesity is commonly identified as having a body-mass index (BMI) over 30. Using this guideline, approximately 34% of Americans are currently classified as obese, compared to 15% in 1980. During this same 30 year period, this increase in obesity has led to a concomitant surge in diabetes and hypertension, both of which are risk-factors for heart disease, the number one cause of death in the US. › Continue reading
Sexual Orientation OCD, aka HOCD / Gay OCD – Part 2
Jon Hershfield of the OCD Center of Los Angeles discusses treatment of Sexual Orientation OCD, also known as HOCD or Gay OCD, using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness. Part two of an ongoing series.
Treatment of Sexual Orientation OCD
Sexual Orientation OCD can be successfully treated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness
As noted in our previous post, Sexual Orientation OCD is a condition in which an individual, straight or gay, obsessively doubts their sexual orientation. Research has consistently found that the most effective treatment for this and all types of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), with a focus on Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).
Over the past ten years, many OCD specialists have also begun to integrate concepts from Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MBCBT) into their treatment of OCD. In MBCBT, the goal is to change one’s perspective toward one’s thoughts, as well as the behavioral responses these thoughts lead to. Using mindfulness, it is possible to circumvent much of the OCD process and ultimately reverse it into remission.
Mindfulness is particularly helpful when treating the more obsessional variants of OCD, including Sexual Orientation OCD. When combining MBCBT with the traditional tools of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the following treatment techniques are used to address the unwanted thoughts and behaviors seen in Sexual Orientation OCD. › Continue reading
Sexual Orientation OCD, aka HOCD / Gay OCD – Part 1
Many people mistakenly think of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) solely as a condition in which people wash their hands excessively or check door locks repeatedly. There are actually many sub-types of OCD. In this ongoing series, Jon Hershfield of the OCD Center of Los Angeles discusses Sexual Orientation OCD, also known as HOCD or Gay OCD.
So, Am I Gay or What?
I sat down to write this blog on Sexual Orientation OCD while my wife and I had started to watch a movie (It’s been suggested I work too much). It’s either irony or personalization, but the opening scene of the movie involves a man kissing his lover… another man. This is the second film in two weeks that I’ve rented which involve men and their male lovers, something I was not aware of when I selected the films.
Or was I?
Sexual orientation OCD is sometimes referred to as HOCD (an abbreviation for Homosexual Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) or Gay OCD. › Continue reading
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Teens
Increasing numbers of teens are having elective cosmetic surgeries to address body image issues, without fully considering the physical and psychological risks involved. Part two of our three-part series on Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).
Our last post focused on Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), body image issues, and cosmetic surgery in the entertainment industry. While I can appreciate that movie stars and models to some extent depend on their appearance for their livelihoods, I worry about the message that stars’ cosmetic surgeries send to the public, particularly young women who see these stars as role models. One recent news story focused on the increasing numbers of teens seeking cosmetic surgeries. The article noted three problematic issues specifically related to this growing trend of teens looking to surgically enhance their bodies: › Continue reading
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Body Image in the News
Recently there have been a number of stories in the media that have touched upon the topic of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). These stories suggest the unfortunate extent to which women (and a growing number of men) appear to be internalizing extremely distorted ideas of beauty.
Will BDD become known as Heidi Montag Syndrome?
Perhaps the most public illustration of this growing problem is the case of Heidi Montag. Until a year ago, I had never heard of Heidi Montag, and I still have no idea why she is famous. Apparently, she is on a reality TV show called “The Hills”, which Stylite blogger Linda Ripoll describes as an “amazing exploration into self-hatred, body dysmorphic disorder, and addiction to plastic surgery”. › Continue reading
Treatment of OCD and OC Spectrum Disorders in Children
“If I knew then what I know now.”
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’ve found yourself saying the same thing at some point in your adult life. Nowhere is this more relevant than from the perspective of someone looking back on a childhood with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or an Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorder. When I meet a new client under 18, there is a powerful sense of traveling through time. I think, “If only I had someone like me to go back and talk to me when I was someone like this.” How much time might I have saved being able to resist repetitive, unnecessary rituals? How many more events, relationships, and simple moments of peace might I have been able to enjoy if only I had known what was really happening to me? › Continue reading
Trichotillomania, Compulsive Skin Picking, and the Resistor’s High
Jon Hershfield, MA, of the OCD Center of Los Angeles discusses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for the treatment of Trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling) and Dermatillomania (compulsive skin picking, or CSP).
My wife and I recently became vegetarians. Well, she started using the word “vegetarian” to describe already never eating meat. For me it required more of a lifestyle change. I grew up on a small beef cattle farm, so I was used to the idea that you could grow meat the same way you grow vegetables. Throughout my life it always felt as if meat was how one defined the difference between a “snack” and a “meal”. So as part health experiment and part social consciousness attempt, I have given up meat for the time being.
At first I felt like I was denying myself something purely enjoyable. I’m used to it, I like it, so why don’t I just do it? Saying, “I want to change” or “I’m not happy with the consequences” doesn’t seem to be much comfort. However, nearly 4 months into this experiment, I now get what can only be described as a “resistor’s high” – an addictive satisfaction derived from choosing not to eat meat. › Continue reading
Memory Hoarding in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
I was surprised to discover that Webster’s dictionary defines “hoard” as a kind of temporary fence put up around a structure being built, presumably with the intention of protecting it in a fragile state. Dictionary.com had a more familiar definition: “to accumulate for preservation, future use, etc., in a hidden or carefully guarded place.” Both definitions refer to the behavior of creating certainty around an uncertain state.
Squirrels hoard acorns to make sure they don’t starve during the winter. Armies hoard weapons to ensure they never run out. And some people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) hoard objects of uncertain value, usually with the belief that the object’s value may be revealed at an important point in the future. › Continue reading
OCD and the Law – Part 3
Our two most recent entries discussed a Scottish case and an American case in which criminal defendants claimed that the crimes for which they were being prosecuted were a function of their having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This week, we examine a case of an Australian professional boxer who claims his assault on 70-year-old man came about as a result of his having OCD. Part three of a three part series examining OCD and the law.
On November 16, 2009, John Edward Lane, a 70-year-old retired Australian television executive boarded a ferry boat in Sydney harbor. Also on board was Grant Brown, a 31-year-old Tasmanian boxer who had previously held the Australian lightweight title for three years, as well as six Tasmanian boxing titles and four Golden Gloves titles. › Continue reading
OCD and the Law – Part 2
Last week we wrote of a case in Scotland in which a man accused and ultimately convicted of possessing child pornography claimed that his crimes were a result of having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This week we examine the case of a Kentucky man whose lawyer claimed that he murdered his wife due to OCD. Part two of a three part series examining OCD and the law.
In March of 2010, the lawyer for Jerry Seidl of suburban Louisville, Kentucky claimed that his 68 year-old client murdered his wife of 47 years as a result of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The couple had separated in 2008, and his wife Dorene had moved out of the family home. On August 7th of that year, after filing for divorce, Dorene sought a protective order on the grounds of domestic violence. In the petition, Dorene claimed that her husband had previously put a gun to her head, and on a separate occasion had told her “I’m just going to kill myself and get it over with. Do you want to go with me”. Despite this, the request for a protective order against her husband was rejected by a local judge on August 20th. › Continue reading
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