Pages Navigation Menu

Licensed Psychologist         (561) 444-8040

Scrupulosity Exposure Help?

Scrupulosity Exposure Help?

Posted by | 27 comments

So this post is a bit different than my regular posts… Rather than discussing a specific aspect about OCD or anxiety, this post is a request for your assistance in completing an exposure. Here’s the background… I have a patient with scrupulosity (religious OCD) who is working to resist his prayer rituals. Oftentimes, his OCD will lead him to pray many, many times throughout the day in response to various triggers he encounters. One of his primary treatment goals is to be able to reduce unhealthy, OCD-based prayers throughout the day. Scrupulosity treatment can be challenging, but he’s doing a great job. At this stage, we are trying to ratchet things up a notch by having him purposefully expose himself to situations where people request prayers from him directly. Over the last week or so, I’ve been asking people...

Read More
Hit-and-Run OCD vs. Other Driving Fears

Hit-and-Run OCD vs. Other Driving Fears

Posted by | 7 comments

What is hit-and-run OCD? Hit-and-run OCD (sometimes called MVA-OCD) is a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder that involves persistent and recurrent worries that you’ve hit someone while driving. While most people with hit-and-run OCD worry, “What if I accidentally hit a pedestrian?”, some worry about unintentionally causing car accidents, bike accidents, or property damage. Hit-and-run OCD is frequently misdiagnosed as panic disorder given that many people with panic disorder (with agoraphobia) also report a fear of driving. However, hit-and-run OCD and panic disorder are distinct conditions that may often be differentiated on the basis of their core fears. Driving Fears Related to Panic Disorder (with Agoraphobia) For someone who has panic disorder with agoraphobia, driving fears might arise because: Driving may have been associated with panic attacks in the past. Some people with panic disorder have a history of having...

Read More
OCD About Pets and Animals: Harm

OCD About Pets and Animals: Harm

Posted by | 23 comments

Obsessions focusing on pets and animals incorporate all the common themes: contamination, checking, harm, scrupulosity, and sex. In this 3-part blog series, I discuss some of the common ways obsessions may target our lovable, snuggable friends. This article, Part 1, will focus on harm obsessions; Part 2 will cover contamination obsessions; and Part 3 will address sexual obsessions and scrupulosity, as they pertain to pets and animals. Pets. You gotta love ‘em. They’re so cute. They’re so cuddly. They always get excited when they see you. So why does OCD hate them so much anyway? Probably because we love them. Just as OCD tends to torment parents who love their children, OCD also loves to torment pet owners who love their pets. Get ready to brace yourself for all sorts of violent and horrific thoughts about pets and animals....

Read More
ERP Tip of the Day #2

ERP Tip of the Day #2

Posted by | 8 comments

It’s ERP tip time. This series of posts focuses on tips to enhance the effectiveness of your exposure and response prevention (ERP). If you’re interested in more ERP tips, click the following link for all the posts in this series. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Tips for OCD Without further ado, here’s another ERP tip to consider when designing your next exposure. ERP Tip #2 When completing your next exposure, avoid rules that dictate what you’re allowed to think during the exposure. If you try to complete an exposure without having a certain bad thought, chances are that you’re setting yourself up to think that very thought. Instead, design your exposure around having that very same unwanted thought. I love it when people with OCD do exposure, but I don’t love it when they have a long list of...

Read More
ERP Tip of the Day #1

ERP Tip of the Day #1

Posted by | 3 comments

Starting today, I am going to start posting random ERP tips as they occur to me, as there are certain roadblocks that many of my OCD patients tend to encounter. If it’s helpful for my patients, maybe it’s helpful for you. If you’re interested in more ERP tips, click the following link for all the posts in this series. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Tips for OCD These posts will probably be a bit shorter unless the concept requires a more thorough discussion. Please feel free to leave comments below, if you need more information. Today’s tip is… ERP Tip #1 Do not label your rituals as ERP. Instead embrace openness, defenselessness, and vulnerability. You might think that you never do this, but it happens more often than you think. Some people that I know will encounter triggers for...

Read More
Page 1 of 3123