Archive for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
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
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
OCD and the Law – Part 1
Recently, there have been a number of legal cases in which criminal defense lawyers have claimed that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) was the cause of their client’s illegal behavior. This is part one of a three part series that examines these cases.
In March 2009, the Edinburgh Evening News of Scotland reported the case of Iain McKinlay, a father of three who claimed that the huge amount of child pornography that he had amassed on his computers was a result of his suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). McKinlay was caught after he used his personal credit card to access child pornography web sites. When the local police raided his home in April 2008, they found 3,557 illegal pictures on two separate computers. › Continue reading
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
Tiger Woods, Sex Addiction, and OCD – Part 2
This is the second and last of a two-part series that discusses the differences between sex addiction and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
In part 1 of this series, we discussed the growing interest in sex addiction in the wake of recent revelations that Tiger Woods has had a wealth of mistresses. We also discussed how many people, including professional psychotherapists, inappropriately conceive of sex addiction as a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Finally, we reviewed the inherent experiential differences between these two conditions, as well as the innate problem of trying to treat sex addiction using therapeutic techniques known to be effective for the treatment of OCD.
In light of the significant differences between these two conditions, it seems clear that sex addiction is not OCD. So what is it? › Continue reading
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
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