All Posts (By Topic)

Learn more about conditions and treatments relevant to you and your child’s mental health.

Conditions

Agoraphobia | Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) | Depression | Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) | Grief & Complicated Grief | Health Anxiety | Hoarding | OCD – General | OCD – Treatment | OCD – Body-Focused/Sensorimotor Symptoms | OCD – Checking-Related Symptoms | OCD – Contamination/Health-Related Symptoms | OCD – Harm-Related Symptoms | OCD – Perfectionism | OCD – “Pure-O” Symptoms | OCD – Sexual Symptoms | OCD – Non-Behavioral Treatment | Panic Attacks & Panic Disorder | Perfectionism | Phobias | Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) | Social Anxiety | School Refusal | Test Anxiety | Trichotillomania

Treatments

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy | Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) | Group Therapy | Intensive Treatment | Medication | Mindfulness | Support Groups

Agoraphobia

• Vomit Phobia – Fear of Vomiting (Emetophobia)
• Driving Fears & Driving Avoidance in Teens & Young Drivers
• Agoraphobia – Symptom Attacks, Triggers, Panic, & Avoidance Behaviors

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

• Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) Symptoms
• Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

Depression

• Symptoms of Depression / Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
• Depression / Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): The (Sometimes) Hidden Ailment

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

• Worry & “What If” Questions

Grief & Complicated Grief

(*coming soon*)

Health Anxiety

• Vomit Phobia – Fear of Vomiting (Emetophobia)
• Health-Related Anxiety: Symptoms, Disorders, & Treatment

Hoarding

• Hoarding: Treatment, symptoms, and personal impact/costs
• Hoarding treatment: Choosing the right therapist

OCD – General

• OCD symptoms: the obvious (and the not so obvious)
• OCD, ERP, & doubt sensitivity: Shattering the illusion of certainty
• OCD guilt, shame, disgust, anxiety & depression: Why treatment sometimes fails (and what to do about it)
• OCD and DSM-V: Taking the “anxiety” out of OCD
• ERP therapy for OCD: Shifting from destructive to constructive to gestalt notions
• Parenting Kids & Teens with OCD: Don’t Feed the Reassurance Monster…and Other Quick Tips
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – Overview
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – Neurobiology
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – Cognitive Deficits
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – Decision Making Abnormalities
• OCD & Contamination: Reasons Why People Do Rituals/Compulsions
• Reassurance Seeking in OCD
• Thought Control & OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)
• Treatment of Unwanted Thoughts & Sensations in OCD
• Worry & “What If” Questions
• OCD Books & OCD Websites
• OCD Awareness Week
• Scary Thoughts as Costumes: The Illusion of Danger
• What is OCD?
• Group Therapy for OCD: Power in Numbers
• OCD Awareness Week 2016
• Common Misconceptions About Anxiety & OCD Treatment
• OCD Treatment: Back to Basics
• OCD and Uncertainty
• OCD Scriptathon 2017: A Group Scripting Experience

OCD – Treatment

• Advanced ERP for OCD: how subtle rituals can limit your progress
• Parenting Kids & Teens with OCD: Don’t Feed the Reassurance Monster…and Other Quick Tips
• Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD: Treatment Mechanism
• OCD Treatment: OCD vs. Me. How do I Tell the Difference?
• OCD Treatment (ERP & CBT): Exposure & Cognitive Restructuring
• OCD Triggers in Daily Life? Don’t Ritualize. Be Strategic! 3 Tips for Fighting OCD.
• Starting Exposure Therapy: What’s it Like?
• Exposure and Response Prevention: An Analogy
• Scrupulosity & OCD: Religious/Moral Symptoms
• OCD Treatment Group Using ERP
• Group Therapy for OCD: Power in Numbers
• OCD Awareness Week 2016
• Common Misconceptions About Anxiety & OCD Treatment
• Imaginal Exposure vs. In Vivo Exposure for OCD
• ERP Tip of the Day #1
• ERP Tip of the Day #2
• OCD Treatment: Back to Basics
• OCD Scriptathon 2017: A Group Scripting Experience

OCD – Body-Focused/Sensorimotor Symptoms

• Sensorimotor OCD Body-Focused Obsessions & Compulsions (Swallowing, Breathing)
• OCD Core Fears Related to Body-Focused Obsessions & Compulsions (e.g., Swallowing, Breathing, Blinking)
• Treatment for Body-Focused Obsessions & Compulsions in OCD (e.g., Swallowing, Breathing, Blinking)
• Sensorimotor OCD & Social Anxiety Differential Diagnosis: “Obsessive Swallowing”
• Fear of Saliva Swallowing & Choking: Treatment & Symptoms (OCD)

OCD – Checking-Related Symptoms

• Hit-and-Run OCD
• Checking & OCD: Part 1 (Checking for Safety)
• OCD & Checking: Part 2 (Mental Checking)
• Imaginal Exposure vs. In Vivo Exposure for OCD
• ERP Tip of the Day #1
• ERP Tip of the Day #2
• OCD About Pets and Animals: Harm
• Hit-and-Run OCD vs. Other Driving Fears
• Driving Fears & Driving Avoidance in Teens & Young Drivers
• ROCD – Relationship OCD
• Relationship OCD (rOCD) – Unwanted Impulses & Images
• ROCD

OCD – Contamination/Health-Related Symptoms

• Contamination & Health-related OCD: Obsessions, Fears, & Worries
• OCD & Contamination Fears: Feared Outcomes (Example: HIV/AIDS)
• OCD & Contamination: Reasons Why People Do Rituals/Compulsions
• OCD & Contamination: Washing & Cleaning Compulsions/Rituals
• Reassurance Seeking in OCD
• Vomit Phobia – Fear of Vomiting (Emetophobia)
• Imaginal Exposure vs. In Vivo Exposure for OCD
• Contamination OCD – Long Shower Exposures
• ERP Tip of the Day #2
• Pets & OCD: Contamination

OCD – Harm-Related Symptoms

• Hit-and-Run OCD
• Harm Obsessions & Violent Obsessions
• Aggressive Obsessions: Fear of Harming or Killing Others
• Fear of Hurting Other People
• Suicide Obsessions: Fear of Killing/Harming Yourself
• Postpartum OCD – Fear of Harming Your Baby
• Scary Thoughts as Costumes: The Illusion of Danger
• Imaginal Exposure vs. In Vivo Exposure for OCD
• ERP Tip of the Day #1
• ERP Tip of the Day #2
• Anger and OCD – Getting Mad…
• OCD About Pets and Animals: Harm
• Hit-and-Run OCD vs. Other Driving Fears
• Driving Fears & Driving Avoidance in Teens & Young Drivers

OCD – Perfectionism

• Perfectionism in OCD: When the pursuit of success turns toxic
• OCD perfectionism & social anxiety treatment: Tweet your way to greater health

OCD – “Pure-O” Symptoms (See Also “Body-Focused” & “General”)

• OCD, ERP, & doubt sensitivity: Shattering the illusion of certainty
• Pure-O OCD (Pure Obsessional OCD): Hidden Rituals
• “Pure-O” OCD: Common Obsessions & Mental Rituals
• Pure-O OCD Rituals: Starting Over, Resetting, & Undoing
• OCD Triggers in Daily Life? Don’t Ritualize. Be Strategic! 3 Tips for Fighting OCD.
• OCD: Screaming, Blurting Out Obscenities/Cursing/Profanity, & Other Unwanted Impulses
• Reassurance Seeking in OCD
• Thought Control & OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)
• Treatment of Unwanted Thoughts & Sensations in OCD
• Scrupulosity & OCD: Religious/Moral Symptoms
• Scrupulosity
• Sexual Obsessions in OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)
• HOCD: Homosexual OCD & Sexual Orientation OCD
• Postpartum OCD – Fear of Harming Your Baby
• Scary Thoughts as Costumes: The Illusion of Danger
• Imaginal Exposure vs. In Vivo Exposure for OCD
• ERP Tip of the Day #1
• ERP Tip of the Day #2
• OCD & Pets: Sexual Thoughts & Scrupulosity
• ROCD – Relationship OCD
• Relationship OCD (rOCD) – Unwanted Impulses & Images
• ROCD
• OCD and Uncertainty
• Scrupulosity Exposure Help?

OCD – Sexual Symptoms

• Sexual Obsessions in OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)
• HOCD: Homosexual OCD & Sexual Orientation OCD
• Postpartum OCD – Fear of Harming Your Baby
• Scary Thoughts as Costumes: The Illusion of Danger
• Imaginal Exposure vs. In Vivo Exposure for OCD
• ERP Tip of the Day #1
• ERP Tip of the Day #2
• OCD & Pets: Sexual Thoughts & Scrupulosity
• Relationship OCD (rOCD) – Unwanted Impulses & Images
• ROCD

OCD – Non-Behavioral Treatment Options

• OCD & ECT (electro-convulsive therapy): Not a first-line treatment
• OCD & D-cycloserine: A Promising Medication for OCD Treatment

Panic Attacks & Panic Disorder

• Vomit Phobia – Fear of Vomiting (Emetophobia)
• Panic Attack Causes: Fight-or-Flight & the Sympathetic Nervous System
• One Panic Treatment Basic that Even Your Therapist Might not Know
• Driving Fears & Driving Avoidance in Teens & Young Drivers
• Although it might feel like you’re dying, you’re not. That’s just what the panic wants you to think.
• Agoraphobia – Symptom Attacks, Triggers, Panic, & Avoidance Behaviors

Perfectionism

• Perfectionism in OCD: When the pursuit of success turns toxic
• OCD perfectionism & social anxiety treatment: Tweet your way to greater health

Phobias

• Vomit Phobia – Fear of Vomiting (Emetophobia)
• Specific phobias: symptoms & CBT treatment (reader question)

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

(*coming soon*)

School Refusal

• Vomit Phobia – Fear of Vomiting (Emetophobia)
• School Refusal Causes (Social & Anxiety-Related Factors)
• School Refusal & Parental Stigma: Am I a Bad Parent?

Social Anxiety

• Vomit Phobia – Fear of Vomiting (Emetophobia)
• Teen Social Anxiety Group (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/Group Therapy)
• Social Anxiety Treatment: CBT & Intentional Mistake Practice (an example)
• Sensorimotor OCD & Social Anxiety Differential Diagnosis: “Obsessive Swallowing”
• OCD perfectionism & social anxiety treatment: Tweet your way to greater health
• Fear of Saliva Swallowing & Choking: Treatment & Symptoms (OCD)

Test Anxiety

• Test Anxiety Treatment & Diagnostic Considerations
• Test Anxiety & Test-taking Anxiety Myths

Tics & Tic Disorders (including Tourette’s Disorder)

(*coming soon*)

Trichotillomania

• Trichotillomania: Goodbye “Trich Police”, Hello HRT
• Palm Beach trichotillomania (trich) support group

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Mindfulness & ACT-based therapy: Questioning “I hurt; therefore, I suffer.”
• Common Misconceptions About Anxiety & OCD Treatment
• Anger and OCD – Getting Mad…

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• Worry & “What If” Questions
• Therapy as Science: You + Your Therapist + Scientific Method
• The Power of Being Selfish: Selfishness as a Key to Mental Health
• Teen Social Anxiety Group (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/Group Therapy)
• Specific phobias: symptoms & CBT treatment (reader question)
• Social Anxiety Treatment: CBT & Intentional Mistake Practice (an example)
• OCD Treatment: OCD vs. Me. How do I Tell the Difference?
• OCD Treatment: Back to Basics
• OCD Treatment (ERP & CBT): Exposure & Cognitive Restructuring
• Imaginal Exposure vs. In Vivo Exposure for OCD
• Fear, Doubt, Uncertainty, ERP, & the Monster Under the Bed
• Exposure Therapy’s Most Common Mistake: All Eggs in the Habituation Basket
• ERP Tip of the Day #2
• ERP Tip of the Day #1
• Driving Fears & Driving Avoidance in Teens & Young Drivers
• Does Non-Avoidance = Exposure? No! Anxiety Disorder Treatment Principles for OCD, Panic, Social Anxiety, & Phobias.
• Common Misconceptions About Anxiety & OCD Treatment
• Anger and OCD – Getting Mad…

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

(*coming soon*)

Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP)

• Worry & “What If” Questions
• Treatment for Body-Focused Obsessions & Compulsions in OCD (e.g., Swallowing, Breathing, Blinking)
• Starting Exposure Therapy: What’s it Like?
• Sensorimotor OCD & Social Anxiety Differential Diagnosis: “Obsessive Swallowing”
• Scrupulosity Exposure Help?
• Scrupulosity & OCD: Religious/Moral Symptoms
• Pure-O OCD (Pure Obsessional OCD): Hidden Rituals
• OCD: Screaming, Blurting Out Obscenities/Cursing/Profanity, & Other Unwanted Impulses
• OCD, ERP, & doubt sensitivity: Shattering the illusion of certainty
• OCD Triggers in Daily Life? Don’t Ritualize. Be Strategic! 3 Tips for Fighting OCD.
• OCD Treatment: OCD vs. Me. How do I Tell the Difference?
• OCD Treatment: Back to Basics
• OCD Treatment Group Using ERP
• OCD Treatment (ERP & CBT): Exposure & Cognitive Restructuring
• OCD symptoms: the obvious (and the not so obvious)
• OCD Scriptathon 2017: A Group Scripting Experience
• OCD guilt, shame, disgust, anxiety & depression: Why treatment sometimes fails (and what to do about it)
• OCD and Uncertainty
• Imaginal Exposure vs. In Vivo Exposure for OCD
• Fear, Doubt, Uncertainty, ERP, & the Monster Under the Bed
• Fear of Saliva Swallowing & Choking: Treatment & Symptoms (OCD)
• Exposure Therapy’s Most Common Mistake: All Eggs in the Habituation Basket
• Exposure and Response Prevention: An Analogy
• Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD: Treatment Mechanism
• ERP Tip of the Day #2
• ERP Tip of the Day #1
• ERP therapy for OCD: Shifting from destructive to constructive to gestalt notions
• Does Non-Avoidance = Exposure? No! Anxiety Disorder Treatment Principles for OCD, Panic, Social Anxiety, & Phobias.
• Contamination OCD – Long Shower Exposures
• Common Misconceptions About Anxiety & OCD Treatment
• Advanced ERP for OCD: how subtle rituals can limit your progress

Group Therapy

• Teen Social Anxiety Group (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/Group Therapy)
• OCD Treatment Group Using ERP
• Group Therapy for OCD: Power in Numbers

Intensive Treatment

• South Florida Intensive Treatment for OCD

Medication

• OCD & D-cycloserine: A Promising Medication for OCD Treatment

Mindfulness

• Mindfulness & ACT-based therapy: Questioning “I hurt; therefore, I suffer.”
• Common Misconceptions About Anxiety & OCD Treatment

Motivational Interviewing

(*coming soon*)

Support Groups

• Palm Beach trichotillomania (trich) support group
• Palm Beach OCD support group
• Palm Beach (South Florida) OCD Support Groups: Adults, Kids, Teens
• OCD Scriptathon 2017: A Group Scripting Experience
• Miami/Fort Lauderdale OCD support groups for adults and kids