(OCD) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a relatively common anxiety disorder, and one that can have a very debilitating impact. People with OCD experience reoccurring, intrusive thoughts that lead to behaviors that they feel compelled to repeat, usually in a ritualistic manner. OCD can interfere with all aspects of a person’s life.

Symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can include an irrational fear of germs, aggressive thoughts toward self or others, and an unyielding desire to have things symmetrical or in perfect order. Other symptoms can be excessive cleaning or hand washing, repeatedly checking on things (such as to see if a door is locked), compulsive counting and a preoccupation with losing or discarding objects with little or no value. Some people with OCD also have a motor tic (such as eye blinking or shoulder shrugging), or a vocal tic (such as throat clearing or sniffing.)

For people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, the purpose of their complicated rituals is to ward off unwelcome and persistent thoughts and feelings, and to escape or reduce anxiety. While people with OCD don’t get pleasure from their rituals or behaviors, they may feel temporary relief from the anxiety caused by their recurring thoughts.

Since 2002, the Delray Center’s team of practitioners, led by board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Raul Rodriguez, has designed personalized treatment programs for those suffering from OCD. Our focus on the total health needs of clients, and the use of both integrative therapies and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), has resulted in successful treatment of OCD and other disorders. For more information on our methodology, click here.