Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects nearly 2.2 million adults in the United States each year. A person with OCD may have obsessions and compulsions that they feel the urge to repeat over and over. Obsessions take the form of repeated thoughts, urges, or mental images that cause anxiety, and compulsions are repetitive behaviors that a person feels compelled to do in response to an obsession. This could take the form of washing, knocking, checking, arranging, cleaning, counting, and much more. Symptoms of OCD may fluctuate over time, lessening in severity or becoming more distressful for a person. OCD can easily affect all aspects of one’s day and can become very stressful.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be very effective in the treatment of OCD. With CBT, a person can learn more about the ways their beliefs have shaped their perceptions on things and how they’ve acted upon those beliefs to determine if those beliefs are helping or harming their quality of life. We all have beliefs that prevent us from doing certain activities, but a person with OCD has a secondary level of thoughts that create further anxiety and obsession.
A study conducted by researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles and published in the journal Translational Psychiatry found that CBT presented a significant increase in connectivity between 8 different brain networks, including the cerebellum, caudate nucleus, putamen, and the dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortices. This means that CBT seems to help a person compensate for their OCD by helping them to develop new cognitive and behavioral strategies towards it.
A lot of people with OCD are not aware they have it until a situation arises that brings the symptoms to light, a person mentions it, or they are diagnosed. If you have been struggling with obsessive thoughts and compulsions, treatment is available. CBT isn’t the only form of effective treatment, either. There are several others that have proven to help people. Make the decision to seek out a reputable treatment center today so that you can take control over your OCD.
If you’re seeking treating for mental illness or substance abuse, call us today at 855-545-9124. Avalon Malibu is a world-renowned, California state-licensed treatment center with licensed, experienced professionals who care about your recovery. Our dedicated healthcare team will work with you to ensure that you get the help that you need. Make the decision to place your health and happiness as top priority and call us for a consultation.
