Welcome to Anxiety Treatment Center
Get Help 24/7
(916) 366-0647
Welcome to Anxiety Treatment Center
(916) 366-0647
Anxiety disorders affect more than 40 million Americans and are recognized as serious medical conditions requiring specialized treatment. Advances in research have shown that effective interventions can greatly reduce—or even resolve—symptoms once thought to be permanently disabling. At the root of anxiety is fear. When fear is triggered, the body produces physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, dizziness, and chest discomfort. These sensations activate the body’s “fight-or-flight” response, a natural survival mechanism. While some people face the source of fear (“fight”), many instinctively avoid it (“flight”), which, over time, can lead to significant restrictions in daily life. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) identifies the specific anxiety disorders. Although their causes and symptoms vary, they share the ability to cause both physical and emotional distress. Without treatment, symptoms often worsen, disrupting social relationships, work, and other essential areas of functioning.
Finding the right treatment for anxiety starts with understanding what is truly driving it. While anxiety is often rooted in fear, each person’s experience is unique. The thoughts, worries, and fears that trigger anxiety can be very different from one individual to another, and identifying these is the key to meaningful progress.
Someone living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may need a treatment approach very different from someone facing social anxiety or panic disorder. Similarly, those dealing with generalized anxiety disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) benefit most from a plan designed specifically for their symptoms and experiences. By uncovering the underlying causes of anxiety, treatment can be personalized—helping each person find the tools and strategies that work best for them.
At The Anxiety Treatment Center, we provide specialized care for a wide range of anxiety disorders (see Anxiety Disorders and Related Conditions page). Given that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is among the most common of these conditions, the following is an in-depth description of OCD and its features.
OCD can take on a variety of forms, including those most frequently spotlighted in the mainstream media: checking and washing. We, however, feel it’s important to stress that there is no typical way in which OCD manifests itself. It has many faces and disguises and can surface in ways that many would not believe. For instance, imagine waking up in the middle of the night and suddenly having the fear that you might stab your spouse. Most can expect that thought would be terrifying. Let’s think about the person that’s afraid that if he doesn’t “confess” every sin to God, or his “higher power,” that he will be damned to eternal hell. How about the person that fears if she doesn’t walk through the same door, she entered that someone she loves will die? These are just some of the examples of what OCD can look like.
Below is a list of common obsessions, along with examples of related compulsions. While these patterns are often seen in OCD, each person’s experience is unique, and having these symptoms does not define the person. This list is not exhaustive, but it may help to recognize themes that are consistent with OCD.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is diagnosed when an individual has intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses (obsessions) that they find distressing, uncomfortable, and often times, intolerable. In an attempt to neutralize, or make these obsessions go away, behaviors are created (compulsions). Unfortunately, the compulsions, while providing temporary relief, do nothing to make the obsession, which is typically based in fear, go away. The compulsion actually acts to reinforce the condition of OCD, and what begins to emerge is patterned behaviors that can eventually run, even devastate, one’s life. As such, a formal diagnosis is made only when the symptoms are interfering or impacting one’s daily activities, social or interpersonal relationships, and/or educational/vocational endeavors. This is an important note, as many people can have symptoms of OCD, yet not have a diagnosis of OCD.
OCD can take on a variety of forms, including those most frequently spotlighted in the mainstream media: checking and washing. We, however, feel it’s important to stress that there is no typical way in which OCD manifests itself. It has many faces and disguises and can surface in ways that many would not believe. For instance, imagine waking up in the middle of the night and suddenly having the fear that you might stab your spouse. Most can expect that thought would be terrifying. Let’s think about the person that’s afraid that if he doesn’t “confess” every sin to God, or his “higher power,” that he will be damned to eternal hell. How about the person that fears if she doesn’t walk through the same door she entered that someone she loves will die? These are just some of the examples of what OCD can look like.
Below is a list of other common obsessions and examples of what some related compulsions might look like. Please keep in mind this is not an exhaustive list.
What’s important to remember—and this is key—is that most people experience intrusive thoughts at some point in their lives. In fact, it is considered rare, if not highly improbable, for someone to never have an unwanted thought. For most people, these thoughts simply enter their awareness and then fade just as quickly, without any emotional charge. They are, in essence, harmless.
For someone with OCD, however, these thoughts are questioned and doubted. The person begins to consider whether the feared idea could actually happen. Once that possibility is entertained, the fear feels real and urgent. To relieve this anxiety, individuals with OCD often engage in compulsions—repetitive behaviors or mental rituals intended to “neutralize” the fear. Unfortunately, because the feared outcomes are irrational, illogical, and highly improbable, these compulsions provide no lasting relief. Instead, they reinforce the cycle, making the OCD stronger over time. Since OCD is linked to a physiologically based chemical imbalance, the fear remains, and the sufferer’s world becomes increasingly restricted and controlled by compulsions.
For family members and loved ones, understanding OCD can be challenging because the thoughts and behaviors often seem irrational. This is completely understandable—how can one make sense of something that doesn’t seem to make sense? Education plays a crucial role, not only in helping loved ones better comprehend the nature of OCD, but also in providing meaningful support during recovery. When family members understand the condition, they can offer validation, reduce misunderstandings, and become valuable allies in the treatment process.
