Living with OCD

This is a guest post by Alegra Kastens, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who founded the Center for OCD, Anxiety, and Eating Disorders. We live in

This is a guest post by Alegra Kastens, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who founded the Center for OCD, Anxiety, and Eating Disorders. Obsessive

OCD is primarily associated with anxiety and high levels of distress, but it can also lead to confusion about one’s emotions. A large part of OCD is

Rumination is a word that’s used somewhat often, and most of the time it has nothing to do with a mental health condition. It’s the act of repeatedly

It is not uncommon during my first encounter with a member to have them state that if they could just get rid of their distressing thoughts they would be

Experiencing any type of mental health condition can have devastating impacts on you and those around you. It can change your worldview, how you function,

We all know by now that not everything we read on the internet is correct. Misinformation surrounding mental health conditions is rampant and can have

Impulse control refers to resisting or inhibiting an impulsive urge or behavior. It is the ability to regulate your emotions and desires so that you can

People who have OCD will often tell you that they feel all alone in a silent battle. They describe a feeling of intense isolation. The very nature of this

Anger and rage are often overlooked emotions in OCD. It’s been said that anger is the flip side of the emotional “coin” of fear—and since so much of OCD

Many people with OCD are already familiar with the concept of intrusive thoughts, but unwanted images, urges and feelings also play a large part in OCD,

OCD symptoms are hard enough on fully developed adults—but what about teens who begin to exhibit signs and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is considered a chronic condition, which means that its symptoms can come and go throughout a person’s life. When

Uncertainty and doubt seem to lay at the bedrock of OCD. OCD demands 100% certainty, no matter the cost—a feat that is, of course, impossible to achieve.

Some aspects of OCD might be obvious, even to others. Certain physical compulsions are simply impossible to hide in all situations. But one of the more

We all know that OCD can be very sneaky. It can latch onto any thought, feeling, or urge that pops into your brain unwanted. But did you also know that it

Exposure and response prevention, or ERP, is the most commonly recommended, evidence-based form of therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The

Living with OCD can, sadly, change the way you see the world. OCD forces its own perspective on nearly everything—seeing danger where there is none,

I think everyone has an “inner critic.” But at a certain point, problems with self-esteem and questions of self-worth can be indicative of mental health

When the obsessions of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) strike, it can feel unbearable—time and again, you try to relieve your anxiety and discomfort