OCD
Evidence-based psychiatric treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, combining medication management with behavioral principles.
Approaches Used
- Medication Management
- CBT
What this often looks like
- Thoughts arrive that are the opposite of what you believe, and will not leave
- You check, count, wash or re-read to make a feeling go away, and the relief lasts minutes
- You know it makes no sense, which is exactly what makes it frightening
- Rituals have quietly expanded to fill more of the day than you admit
- You seek reassurance repeatedly and it never quite settles anything
What the first appointment covers
We identify the actual shape of it: what the intrusive thoughts are about, what you do to neutralise them, and how much of the day that now takes. Many people have carried the most distressing themes for years without telling anyone, because saying them out loud feels like confessing to wanting them. You will not be judged for the content, which is a symptom, not a wish.
How it is treated here
OCD responds to a specific approach rather than to general anxiety treatment. Medication is used at higher doses and over longer trials than for depression, which is a key detail that is often missed. The behavioural work is exposure and response prevention, meaning deliberately not performing the ritual, at a pace you set. Reassurance-seeking is itself a compulsion, so part of the work is my not feeding it.
What to expect, and when
OCD asks for patience: a fair medication trial runs ten to twelve weeks, not four, and doses that would be unusual in depression are ordinary here. Exposure work produces gains earlier, but only when it is applied consistently and not abandoned at the difficult point.
Questions patients ask
My intrusive thoughts are violent or sexual. Will I be reported?
Intrusive thoughts of this kind are among the most common presentations of OCD, and they are the opposite of intent — that is precisely why they cause such distress. They are treated as symptoms. Mandatory reporting concerns credible risk of harm, not distressing thoughts you are fighting against.
Is medication alone enough?
Rarely at its best. Medication reduces the intensity enough to make exposure work possible; exposure work is what produces lasting change. Together they outperform either alone, and I will be direct if what you need is a therapist working specifically in ERP.
Can OCD be treated by telehealth?
Yes, and for OCD there is a particular advantage: exposure work happens where the rituals actually occur, which is at home, not in an office where the triggers are absent.
Ready to Get Started?
Book an initial evaluation and take the first step.
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