OCD Therapy Going Nowhere?

Although any medical doctor can take your blood pressure, only a few can do heart surgery. Likewise, any therapist can help someone who is feeling a bit blue, but only a few can effectively treat OCD. OCD treatment is a type of therapy that requires a specialized protocol called Exposure and Ritual Prevention (ERP or EX/RP). Learn about the Top Mistakes Made by OCD Therapists.

Top Seven Myths About OCD

One stereotype is that people with OCD are neat and tidy to a fault. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. Although many people with OCD wash because they are concerned about dirt and germs, being tidy is actually not a typical symptom of the disorder. Almost two-thirds of people with OCD are also hoarders... Learn more about the Top Myths about OCD.

Homosexual Fears in OCD

Sexuality Concerns in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

There are many people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who have sexual obsessions surrounding homosexuality. Homosexuality anxiety is a recognized symptom of OCD, sometimes referred to as "HOCD."

HOCD includes the following:

  • the obsessive fear of being or becoming homosexual
  • the experience of intrusive, unwanted mental images of homosexual behavior, and/or
  • the obsessive fear that others may believe one is homosexual.

A person may have only one of these facets of the disorder or a combination. Learn more about sexual obsessions in OCD.

Take The OCD Self Test

The OCI-R is a short, reliable, scientific test of common obsessive-compulsive symptoms. This measure was developed by OCD experts. Take our OCD Self Test.

About Trichotillomania

Compulsive Hair-Pulling

Sufferers of trichotillomania (compulsive, chronic hair-pulling) have strong urges to pull hair from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows or elsewhere on their bodies. This condition is an impulse control problem, and can be treated with behavioral techniques including habit-reversal training to better control hair-pulling, often in concert with other techniques designed to help decrease the urge to pull. The center offers short-term cognitive behavioral therapy for adults, adolescents, and children with trichotillomania.

Symptoms

Trichotillomania is classified as an impulse control disorder. It involves repetitive hair pulling, resulting in noticeable hair loss. Individuals suffering from Trichotillomania often report experiencing a mounting tension or urge to pull and a sense of relief or pleasure after pulling. The scalp is the most common site in adults and in youth, however pulling may occur at any hair site including eyebrows, eyelashes, legs, arms and pubic areas. Further, pulling may be either focused and intentional in response to emotional cues or may occur outside of awareness when engaged in sedentary tasks (i.e. watching T.V., reading).

To date, there are few epidemiological studies on the prevalence of Trichotillomania, although a recent study conducted by CTSA faculty in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Delaware suggested that about 1 in 50 college students report clinically relevant pulling and skin picking. Several adult studies and more recent child and adolescent studies highlight the social and functional impairment associated with chronic hairpulling.

Treatment

The best treatment is Habit Reversal Therapy (HRT) a form of behavioral therapy proven to treat Trichotillomania. This treatment seeks to retrain the patient's response to the urge or sensation to pull their hair. The program begins by developing awareness of the pulling habit, itself. Many people suffering from Trichotillomania experience an urge to pull or a tense sensation just before pulling. The initial component of the program aims to bring this preliminary urge or sensation to consciousness, often accomplished through self-monitoring and record keeping. Muscle relaxation and diaphragmatic breathing techniques are taught to reduce the level of bodily sensation and tension that may lead to pulling. Lastly, the patient develops a "competing response" or muscle tensing activity that is incompatible with pulling (i.e. tightening one's fist). This activity is performed at the first indication of an urge and held until it subsides. This response is used as a replacement behavior, training the patient to habituate to the urge. The goal of treatment is to become aware of triggers and situational factors connected to pulling and gradually create new connections with a non-destructive behavior.