OCD
ADULT AND CHILD PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONERS IN KING OF PRUSSIA, PA
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating mental health disorder that takes over your life. At Alpine Psychiatry in King of Prussia (KOP) and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Nina Patel, CRNP, PMHNP-BC, Vince Di Antonio, CRNP, PMHNP-BC, and the group of licensed practitioners have years of training and experience treating OCD and other related disorders like skin picking, hair pulling (trichotillomania), and hoarding. They also work with OCD specialists in the area. Don’t let your OCD dictate your life. Contact the office by phone, text, or online to schedule an appointment today.
OCD is a chronic and debilitating mental health disorder. As its name indicates, patients with OCD experience obsessions and compulsions:
Obsessions are recurring and persistent thoughts, ideas, or impulses that you can’t stop, even though they’re unwanted and you know they’re irrational. Examples of obsessions include fear of germs, disturbing thoughts about aggressive behavior, and the need for symmetry.
Although you can have obsessions without compulsions, most people with OCD develop both. When you have a compulsion, you’re compelled to perform specific behaviors to ease the anxiety caused by your obsession. The compulsive action may not be associated with the obsession.
Examples of compulsive behaviors include:
Though it’s not uncommon to have obsessions or compulsions, in people with OCD, the obsessions and compulsions are extreme and consume hours of their day.
Researchers are still looking into what causes a person to develop OCD. However, they have identified risk factors, including:
If you have a parent with OCD, you’re at greater risk of developing the disorder, suggesting a strong genetic link.
Imaging studies of people with OCD show differences in structure and function in the areas of the brain that control behavior.
Researchers have also found environmental factors that may trigger OCD, such as childhood trauma and streptococcal infections (strep throat).
OCD affects all ages, including children, adolescents, and adults.
OCD is a specific mental health disorder, but has similarities to other mental health conditions. Alpine Psychiatry treats all psychiatric disorders, including those similar to OCD, such as:
Skin picking, also called dermatillomania, is the compulsion to pick at the skin. Anxiety is a common trigger for skin picking.
Hair-pulling disorder, or trichotillomania, is the compulsion to pull out your own hair.
Hoarding disorder is the obsessive need to hold onto things you think you may need at a later point in time. The thought of getting rid of items causes distress and anxiety.
Phobias are intense fear of something that poses little or no danger. A few examples include fear of flying, spiders, escalators, tunnels, water, and small or enclosed places.
Contact Alpine Psychiatry by phone, text, or online today to get help with your OCD or other compulsive disorders.