Mental health and therapy

Obsessive compulsive disorder

If you have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), you may experience frequent and distressing thoughts or compulsive behavioural patterns which affect your day-to-day life. It is important to know OCD is treatable.

Our dedicated team works with you, giving you access to programs that focus on the bigger picture of your mental health and wellbeing, exploring issues such as anxiety, depression and coping strategies including exercise, nutrition and family therapy.

Our treatment for OCD

OCD affects people in different ways, however you may:

have unwanted thoughts or urges
worry about something bad happening to someone they love
worry about germs, contamination or getting sick
spend lots of time checking and re-checking things
frequently perform particular routines.

We work with you and your family and/or support networks to make sure your care is coordinated and meets your personal needs.

You can be referred to our OCD outpatient program by your general practitioner. Sometimes OCD occurs alongside feelings of anxiety and depression. If you experience this, you may also consider accessing our anxiety and depression inpatient programs.

A therapy we may use to treat OCD is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which helps you learn skills to reduce unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaviours that contribute to OCD.

Depending on your needs, CBT may include exposure and response prevention. This approach is carried out in a supportive environment, where you are exposed to objects and situations that trigger your compulsions. Over time, you may feel more able to resist unhelpful compulsions and behaviours.

Other therapies may include:

strategies for stress reduction
relapse prevention – a long term support program that involves regular group meetings.

Your doctor may also prescribe medications to help relieve your symptoms.