The Anxiety Treatment Clinic of Atlanta provides OCD treatment that gets results. We utilize the latest science to help people overcome obsessive-compulsive disorder and live a full life. Effective psychological treatments are available to those who are suffering from this debilitating disorder. One of these interventions is a special form of cognitive behavior therapy called exposure and response prevention. This type of OCD treatment consists of exposing a person to the obsessions and then preventing the usual response. Over time, the person becomes accustomed to the discomfort and the obsession becomes less intense.
What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is primarily characterized by obsessions and/or compulsions. Obsessions are repetitive thoughts, impulses or images that are anxiety provoking. They occur against one’s will, are intrusive and persistent.
Some examples of obsessions are:
- thoughts that objects or other people might be “contaminated” by contact.
- fears and doubts that doors have been left unlocked or appliances have been left on
- important materials have been thrown away
- unwanted urges or impulses to do something harmful
- horrific or upsetting images having to do with religious figures or sexual thoughts
For people with OCD, the fear or other unpleasant emotions are out of proportion to the actual risk. Thus, they can carry out compulsions to rid themselves of the worry. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental rituals that the person feels forced or compelled into doing, in order to relieve anxiety.
Examples of compulsions include
- hand-washing, showering, or cleaning to remove “contamination”
- checking to prevent feared dangers
- repeating actions or thoughts to prevent a catastrophic event from happening
- having to arrange objects in a particular way
- needing repeated reassurance from others that a feared event has not or cannot happen
- repeating phrases or images in one’s mind to prevent a catastrophe
How Common is OCD?
OCD is more common than schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or anorexia, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Yet, it is still commonly overlooked by mental health professionals and people who themselves have the disorder.
Is There OCD Treatment?
Effective psychological treatments are available to those who are suffering from this debilitating disorder. One of these interventions is a special form of cognitive behavior therapy called exposure and response prevention. OCD treatment at the Anxiety Treatment Clinic consists of exposure and response prevention, which is exposing a person to the obsessions and then preventing the usual response. Over time, the person becomes accustomed to the discomfort and the obsession becomes less intense. This treatment is difficult in that the person has to face his or her fears, but it is effective with almost 75% of people no longer qualifying for this disorder following treatment (see below for many articles on the effectiveness of the treatment we use). Our goal is to make the treatment work as quickly as possible, so that people can live their life to the fullest as quickly as possible. All of our therapists are extensively trained and continuously educated. We break the mold of traditional therapy by getting out of the office and into the situations that cause anxiety. We do all of this in a caring manner with high expectations for change.
For more information on Panic Disorder treatment in the Atlanta areas of Peachtree Corners, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, and Sandy Springs, please
- Call or text us at: (470) 822-3226
- email us at info@anxietyclinic.org
- We also offer intensive treatment for OCD.
Articles on the Effective OCD Treatments We Use
- Albert, U., & Brunatto, C. (2009). Obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults: Efficacy of combined and sequential treatments. Clinical Neuropsychiatry: Journal of Treatment Evaluation, 6, 83–93.
- Anholt, G. E., Kempe, P., de Haan, E., & others. (2009). The process of change in treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder: Cognitive versus behavior therapy. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Spectrum Theory and Issues in Measurement, 77(1), 166.
- Bouvard, M., & Kaiser, B. (2006). Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions for OCD.
- Goldman, B. L., Martin, E. D., Calamari, J. E., Woodard, J. L., Chik, H. M., Messina, M. G., Pontarelli, N. K., Marker, C. D., et al. (2008). Implicit learning, thought-focused attention and obsessive-compulsive disorder: A replication and extension. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 46(1), 48–61. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2007.10.004
- Marker, C. D., Calamari, J. E., Woodard, J. L., & Riemann, B. C. (2006). Cognitive self-consciousness, implicit learning and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 20(4), 389–407. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2005.03.003
- Milne, A. (2007). Summary of “Behavioural and cognitive behavioural therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder in children and adolescents. Evidence‐Based Child Health: A Cochrane Review Journal, 2(4), 1314–1315. doi:10.1002/ebch.179