Archive for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Tiger Woods, Sex Addiction, and OCD
This is the first of a two-part series that discusses the differences between sex addiction and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Lately, sex addiction has become a hot topic in the news. Certainly, the biggest factor in this explosion of interest has been the revelation that Tiger Woods has had a seemingly infinite number of extra-marital affairs, and subsequent reports that he is undergoing treatment for sex addiction.
Is Sex Addiction OCD?
Every so often, the OCD Center of Los Angeles receives a call from a prospective client looking for treatment for sex addiction. These individuals (or their spouses) call us because they believe, or more frequently, have been told by previous therapists, that their sexual behavior is evidence of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). And invariably, they are surprised and confused when I inform them that sex addiction has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with OCD. › 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
Reassurance Seeking in OCD and Related Conditions
People with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) who experience the pain and terror brought on by unwanted intrusive thoughts will use whatever means necessary to alleviate their discomfort. If they can’t make themselves feel sure about something internally, they reach out to the nearest person who they think can do it for them. If they are unavailable, the person with OCD will often reach out to the cold, unforgiving internet where the answers they hope not to find will always be waiting. › 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
I Have Bizarre Thoughts – Do I Have OCD?
I was leaving my house today to go on my morning walk and noticed that the front gate was open. As I passed through the gate, I had a thought that if I closed it, I would not return safely to my home. If I left the gate open, I would return safely. Prior to taking an important exam, it occurred to me that if I left the test registration in the car and folded it a certain way, it would mean that I would pass the test I was about to take. › Continue reading
OCD and Mental Checking
If you are faced with the challenge of Pure Obsessional OCD (also known as “Pure O”), then chances are you’ve completed your first round of obsessions and compulsions before you’ve even gotten out of bed each day. Before you open your eyes, the wheels in your OCD machine start turning, and a sort of science fiction scan of your brain begins searching for evidence of “it”. Whatever “it” is, “it” is sure to be in there somewhere. › Continue reading
Is Compulsive Overeating OCD?
Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Los Angeles Times weekly health section ran an issue this week dedicated to binge eating, also known as compulsive overeating. This special issue had four articles on binge eating, with a strong focus on the question of whether or not this problem should be formally identified as a psychological condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, also known as the DSM. › Continue reading
Exposure Therapy for OCD and Anxiety
At the heart of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for OCD and related anxiety disorders is the process of “exposure therapy”, during which we help clients repeatedly do the very thing that most terrifies them. For a client with OCD, this might mean purposely touching doorknobs without then washing. For someone with Pure Obsessional OCD, this could mean purposely thinking about being a pedophile or a murderer. A client with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) may be asked to go out for a walk without the hat they usually wear to hide their face or to go to a brightly-lit restaurant with a group of friends. Someone with Panic Disorder exposure might mean driving on the freeway or taking a plane flight. And an individual with Social Anxiety may be urged to go to the mall to initiate conversations with strangers. › Continue reading
OCD Awareness Week
Today, October 12th, is the first day of OCD Awareness Week. The International Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation (OCF) is the force behind the creation of OCD Awareness Week, which it describes as “a vehicle for support, advocacy and education to help end the stigma surrounding OCD and encourage sufferers to identify the disorder and / or seek treatment”. The OCF is also working with its many local affiliates around the US “to educate their communities and the public as a whole about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and its treatments.” › Continue reading
CBT and Evidence Based Psychotherapy
There is an excellent article in this week’s Newsweek (October 12, 2009 – available on newsstands October 6th) about the failure of psychotherapists to use treatments that have been shown to be effective. The author of the article, Sharon Begley, points out that many therapists follow a treatment approach that is based not on science, but on their personal preference and experience with past clients.
This article is right on target. › Continue reading
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