What is OCD?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a unique disorder that can be characterized by obsessions, compulsions, or both. Obsessions are defined as thoughts, persistent and unwanted thoughts that are often intrusive, things like images or urges.
Compulsions are defined as the physical attempts to control those obsessions, usually things like repetitive behaviors such as washing your hands a set number of times or turning lights on and off when you enter a room. Compulsions can also be mental acts that you perform, like repeating words to yourself or counting a specific number of times.
These obsessions and compulsions have to be significantly time-consuming in order to be diagnosed with OCD, often taking more than one hour each day, or they must cause significant distress and impairment when it comes to trying to complete daily tasks.
There are many environmental risk factors that can increase the chance of developing OCD, including exposure to trauma in childhood or premature birth. There are also temperamental and genetic factors to consider.
Not only can these symptoms affect the quality of life, but they can impair social and occupational progress and lead to secondary health conditions, particularly anxiety disorders and depressive disorders.
- 76 percent of people with OCD develop an anxiety disorder at some point in their life
- 63 percent of people with OCD develop a depressive disorder at some point
- 39 percent of people with OCD develop substance abuse disorders at some point in their lives
OCD affects around 1.2 percent of Americans, affecting women at a slightly higher rate. OCD generally starts around age 20, but one-quarter of cases start by age 14.
If OCD is not treated, it can become a chronic condition with episodes and symptoms that wax and wane throughout adulthood. Moreover, reports have found that those with OCD have a 15 percent chance of suicide attempts with a 44 percent risk of suicidal ideation.
This is why it’s important to find the right OCD treatment center in New York.
OCD Treatment with Elevate Point
Our OCD treatment center in New York provides comprehensive treatment, including medication and therapy where appropriate. We offer individual, group, and family therapy as part of our flexible outpatient programs.
For adolescents and adults, we provide partial hospitalization programs and intensive outpatient programs for immediate OCD treatment. These sessions give you an opportunity to learn more about your condition, the potential personal causes and risk factors, and how you can manage symptoms in a safe and effective way.
Dual Diagnosis
Given the high rate of substance abuse among those with OCD, our facility provides flexible outpatient programs not only for mental health treatment but for co-occurring disorders. This means receiving treatment for substance abuse and OCD at the same time. Doing so provides you with tools to overcome triggers and symptoms associated with both so that they do not continue to negatively influence the other.
TMS
One option for holistic care at our OCD Treatment Center in New York is transcranial magnetic stimulation. This is a non-invasive procedure that is approved by the FDA for OCD treatment. It works by way of electrodes placed on the head or helmets placed over the head through which magnetic pulses are sent into the brain, reaching areas that may have atrophy, problems with blood flow, or function specifically related to symptoms of OCD. This can include things like the prefrontal cortex. With regular sessions done on a daily basis over the span of several weeks, most clients see a noticeable change in their symptoms, which makes it easier to utilize other coping skills to manage things like intrusive thoughts.
Art Therapy
One such coping skill is art therapy. Art therapy has been found to be very useful for treating a range of mental health conditions, not least of which is OCD. With Art therapy, individuals struggling with OCD can learn to:
- Better control their intrusive thoughts
- Process emotions
- Increase self-awareness and triggers
- Express things nonverbally
- Reduce anxiety and depression
Art therapy represents any type of creative therapy, such as watercolors, painting, drawing, and making things with pottery or paper mache. Art therapy doesn’t require that you have any experience in the modality you are using. You don’t have to be a good painter in order to paint and reap the benefits it has to offer.
For some people, art therapy provides a chance to release physical tension brought about by obsessions or compulsions, particularly playing with things like clay or making collages, whereas for others, aren’t therapy might involve painting, drawing, or making cards in a way that focuses the attention on the present moment and turns away from intrusive thoughts.
This level of art therapy can prove invaluable in communicating emotions nonverbally, better controlling your emotions and coping with symptoms of depression or anxiety that come from OCD.
Find Help for OCD Today
Finding the right OCD treatment centers in New York can make all the difference in your risk of developing additional mental health disorders or substance abuse. It can give your teen or yourself the tools needed to better manage symptoms, recognize triggers, and find appropriate medication and holistic practices to incorporate on a daily basis.
Call our team today to learn more about our OCD outpatient programs.
FAQs about OCD Treatment
OCD does not resolve itself. It takes action and treatment to learn how to manage the symptoms. However, adults might find that their symptoms diminish for a few months or even several years and then come back seemingly out of the blue.
During this time frame, it’s not uncommon for people to think that their OCD has resolved itself, but in reality, this is the nature of the condition, as certain life events, triggers, and stress can cause symptoms to increase or decrease over time. That is why it’s so important to get help when you receive a diagnosis so that you can learn to control your symptoms no matter when they manifest.
There is no definitive cure for OCD, but you can easily learn to manage your symptoms even without medication. The coping skills and holistic practices we incorporate can give you strategies to lead a productive and fulfilling life.
Yes! If you are struggling with co-occurring mental health disorders like OCD and depression or OCD and anxiety, we can provide treatment for both. Many of the therapies most successful in managing things like OCD are equally effective at managing things like depression and anxiety. When you call our admissions team, we can go over your outpatient program options.
Elevate Point therapy programs, where the next phase of life begins.
There’s a better life for you. Contact us today at 646.760.7324 and we’ll help you uncover the you that’s just under the surface.