A Brief Video about OCD

I ran across this excellent 5 minute video on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by Helen Blair Simpson, MD, PhD through the Mental Health Channel. Dr. Simpson is a professor at Columbia University and director of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic. She is one of the leading experts on anxiety and OCD and related disorders. In this brief … Read more

CNN Article on Religious-Themed OCD (aka Scrupulosity)

CNN featured a nice article on a lesser known subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)–Scrupulosity. This involves religious-themed obsessions, such as fear of blaspheming, fear of going to hell, or a sense that you are inherently bad. Rates of OCD are no higher in more orthodox religious communities, but rates of scrupulosity are, which provides an … Read more

A Yale Graduate Student’s Account of Her Struggle to Find Effective Treatment for OCD

At Portland Psychotherapy, we are passionate about offering evidence-based treatment and promoting training in effective treatments to other professionals. I recently came across this opinion piece by a Yale graduate student recounting her struggles to find effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). I think this article offers both a good description of some of the … Read more

What Medications are Effective in OCD?

In previous posts, I’ve written about how cognitive behavioral treatment (specifically, CBT with exposure and response prevention) has been shown to be much more effective in treating obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) than medication. Nevertheless, many people with OCD are still interested in seeing if they can find a medication that will turn down the intensity … Read more

Are Antipsychotic Medications a Helpful Adjunct for Treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

Among people with whom I work, a practice that’s grown more common in the last few years but with iffy research support is the addition of an antipsychotic medication when an antidepressant medication doesn’t seem to be working. This is done in an attempt to augment the effect of the antidepressant. The practice concerns me … Read more

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