Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Worries, doubts, and superstitious beliefs are all common in everyday life and it is only when they become excessive i.e. driving around and around the block to check that an accident didn’t occur, then a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is probably in order.

In OCD, it is as though the brain gets stuck on a particular track, thought or urge and it just can’t let go…
A person is considered as having OCD when obsessive and compulsive behaviours are extreme enough to interfere with the quality of everyday life.

Obsessions are unwanted, persistent thoughts, images, or impulses that occur over and over again and the person will feel that they are out of their control.  People with OCD typically try to make their obsessions go away by performing irresistible compulsions.  An OCD person does not want to have these ideas, and finds them disturbing, and intrusive, and usually recognises that they don’t really make sense or have any relevance to the reality of the situation.

Compulsions on the other hand are acts that the person performs over and over again, often according to certain “rules”. For example a person may repeatedly check that she has turned off the stove or iron because of an obsessive fear of burning the house down.  Similarly, people with an obsession about contamination may wash constantly to the point that their hands become raw and inflamed.

Unlike compulsive drinking or gambling, OCD compulsions do not give the person pleasure. Rather, the rituals are performed to obtain relief from the discomfort caused by the obsessions.

Conventional approaches to OCD include educating the person and their family about OCD and its management. The most common interventions for OCD are medication and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). At LDPS we also offer Neurofeedback to compliment the above.

For more information or to make an appointment please send an email or contact us on (02) 9637 9998 during business hours.