OCD and self-harm often go hand in hand, as people may have obsessive thoughts that lead to behaviors like cutting or burning. People with OCD may also feel shame or guilt about their intrusive thoughts, leading to self-harm as a way of punishing themselves. Unfortunately, this can create a negative cycle of distress and may …
Suffering Silently: Using Self-Injury as a Coping Mechanism Read More »
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental condition that produces a combination of mental obsessions and compulsive behaviors. Sometimes, mental health professionals have a fairly easy time diagnosing the condition’s presence in their patients. However, certain factors can complicate an OCD diagnosis and create a much more complex picture for doctors. In some cases, affected individuals …
Complications in Diagnosing Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Read More »
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) disrupts millions of people’s relationships, self-esteem, and home lives each year, but the disorder can also be extremely difficult to manage in the workplace. The patterns and rituals that hallmark the disorder, such as repeatedly checking the door to be sure it’s locked, can negatively affect a person’s job performance and ability …
As parents, we want to do what is best for our children. However, when mental health conditions come into play, the “best thing” may not always be clear. For instance, for parents whose children struggle with OCD, working with them, and accommodating their needs may seem ideal. After all, it’s all about making sure that …
Parents who Accommodate OCD Behaviors May Worsen the Condition Read More »
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is nothing new, but a misunderstood form of OCD may very well be. For example, some of the millions of people suffering from OCD actually have scrupulosity, a form of OCD that exhibits an excessive concern with sin that goes well beyond the norm for the average individual’s religious beliefs. What …
Dermatillomania, also known as skin picking disorder (SPD), is a serious problem in which an individual picks at their skin to the extent that it causes wounds. Many people don’t have an awareness of this condition but 2% to 3% of the population actually struggles with it. If you struggle with compulsive skin picking, you …
Compulsive Skin Picking – What Is Dermatillomania? Read More »
The personality disposition called perfectionism comes with pluses and minuses. Coupled with the right combination of other character traits, work habits, and values, it can help in achieving goals. What experts sometimes call “maladaptive” perfectionism, though, can actually hinder accomplishments and working relationships. It can be at this point where perfectionism becomes dysfunctional. How Perfectionism …
Intrusive thoughts that won’t go away. Disturbing impulses. Compulsive behaviors that don’t make sense. No matter how hard you try to stop or control them, you can’t. That’s the nature of the challenging and complex anxiety disorder known as obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD for short. OCD can manifest in a variety of ways, ranging from …
Substance/medication induced obsessive-compulsive and related disorder is the lengthy, somewhat complicated name for a newly defined mental health condition that appears in DSM 5, the recently released fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. People with this condition have symptoms that closely resemble the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or any …
Understanding Substance/Medication-Induced Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorder Read More »
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a potentially debilitating mental health condition that centers on unpleasant, repetitive mental fixations, as well as ritualistic behaviors designed to reduce the potency of those fixations. Doctors commonly try to control the symptoms of OCD with antidepressant medications called SSRIs; however, these medications fail to produce an adequate benefit in substantial …
Ritual Prevention Therapy Good Addition to OCD Treatment Read More »