OCD Specialists

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) causes two equally disabling mental health problems: obsessive thoughts and compulsive ritual acts. At West Michigan Ketamine Clinics in Wyoming, Michigan, Nicholas Kolascz, CRNA, and the experienced team provides specialized ketamine infusion treatments that can help relieve OCD symptoms so you can get on with your life. Even when other treatments aren’t working, ketamine therapy could help. Call West Michigan Ketamine Clinics or book an appointment online today.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that has two aspects: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are thoughts that take over your mind and stay there, even when you don’t want them to. Compulsions are acts you must carry out before you can do anything else.

Many people have mild OCD tendencies, like wanting to have their desk arranged just so or having to double-check door locks several times before leaving the house. However, OCD can reach a point where it becomes overwhelming and out of control, leaving you unable to carry out everyday activities.

Most people with OCD have both obsessions and compulsions, but it’s possible to have one without the other.

What kinds of obsessions are typical of OCD?
Obsessions take the form of thoughts and ideas that very often form graphic pictures in your mind. They tend to be unpleasant, distressing, and repellent, causing feelings of disgust and loathing. However horrible they are, you can’t shake off these thoughts, no matter how hard you try.

Common obsessions involve:

• Dirt
• Germs 
• Sex
• Religion
• Violence
• Taboo activities

These intrusive thoughts can make you feel compelled to act in ways that go against your nature. To control your obsessions, you might turn to ritualistic behaviors that become compulsions.

• What kinds of compulsions are typical of OCD?
• Common compulsions typical of OCD include:
• Excessive cleaning
• Repeated handwashing
• Sorting and ordering
  
• Repeated checking
• Counting 

People with OCD also develop rituals that they must perform, such as opening and closing a door a specific number of times or following an exact routine, which, if interrupted, they have to start from the beginning. These activities can take hours each day and may become so extreme that you find it impossible to focus on everyday work, home, and family matters.

Medication to reduce anxiety can help reduce the severity of your OCD symptoms. Therapy is critical if you have OCD because you need to create new pathways in your brain that cut out the obsessive and compulsive behaviors.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is often used to treat patients with OCD. There are also specialized approaches, such as habit-reversal training and exposure and response prevention (EX/RP), that are effective in treating compulsions.

If these approaches don’t produce results, an alternative option is ketamine therapy. Ketamine is a common anesthetic that’s also valuable for treating mental health conditions, including OCD. Ketamine therapy involves having an IV drip in your arm to introduce the ketamine directly into your bloodstream, where it acts on your nervous system to reduce your OCD symptoms.

If you’re struggling to improve with your current OCD treatment plan, call West Michigan Ketamine Clinics or book an appointment online today.