Don't Let OCD Rule Your Life: We Can Help

When you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you may feel like your life isn’t your own. You have no control over the obsessions and compulsions that rule you. With treatment, though, you can manage OCD and take charge of your life.

As with so many mental health disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is poorly understood by the public.

Although a focus on perfection or a need to repeat certain actions is associated with OCD, you’re not clinically considered to have OCD until your compulsions and behaviors have a negative impact on your quality of life.

In fact, if you have OCD, you may not feel like you have much of a life at all. Instead of enjoying other people and various activities, you may feel obligated to repeat behaviors or be obsessed with intrusive, upsetting thoughts that keep you locked in at home or unable to escape unwanted or meaningless routines.

About 2.3% of adult women and men in the United States have OCD or experienced it previously. One frustrating aspect of the disorder is that you may be fully aware that your compulsions and repetitive behaviors have no benefit or basis in reality, yet you can’t stop doing them.

In some cases of OCD, however, you may believe your intrusive thoughts. You may also be convinced that your behaviors are necessary to keep yourself or others safe.

At Precise Research Centers in Flowood, Mississippi, we conduct clinical trials into new medications that help you manage OCD. In combination with talk therapy and other treatments, you can manage OCD symptoms and live your life fully. Here’s how.

Get a diagnosis

If you truly have OCD, don’t be tempted to laugh it off as a personal “quirk.” Without treatment, clinical OCD can lead to complications, such as:

Trouble at school or work
Difficulty focusing or completing tasks
Self-harm from habits such as hand-washing or skin-picking
Difficulty in relationships due to control issues
Self-medication in the form of alcohol or drug use

When you have OCD, an attempt to control your own thoughts or break a compulsive habit can backfire. In fact, not complying with compulsions can cause extreme anxiety because you’ve “failed” to perform the required tasks. And, of course, if you fail once, you may also blame yourself for yielding to the obsession.

When you’re clinically diagnosed with OCD, you get confirmation that you’re dealing with a real disease, not a lack of “willpower.” You’re also eligible for effective treatments that help you gain mastery over your compulsions.

Get support

In addition to the validation that a clinical diagnosis provides, a diagnosis of OCD means that you have the support of our team here. We work together to find the best medications and therapies to help you feel better again.

We also help you learn to manage your intrusive thoughts and behaviors through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other forms of talk therapy. If you’ve been trying to self-medicate with alcohol or recreational drugs, we also recommend you for substance use treatment.

Change your habits

We work with you to suggest lifestyle changes that may help your brain function more optimally. We recommend:

Regular meals to avoid blood-sugar spikes
Cutting down or cutting out sugar and simple carbs
Eliminating trans fats
Switching from fruit juices to whole fruits
Cutting down on caffeine
Switching to a whole-foods diet
Finding an enjoyable exercise and activity regimen
Developing better sleep hygiene habits

Changing habits isn’t easy. That’s why having a support team in place eases the transition so you can try, fail, and try again without blame or self-recrimination.

Find the right medications

Depending on your unique case of OCD, you may benefit from antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), or a combination of both. We conduct clinical trials with the latest medications that are designed to manage your impulses.

By volunteering for a clinical trial, you not only get relief for your own OCD, you may help others further down the road, too. Clinical trials evaluate the efficacy of medications that are still being developed so they can then be brought to the public.

If you have OCD, call us at 601-420-5812 or book an appointment online for a diagnosis and treatment today. You can also send a message to our team on the website.

If you’d like to be considered for a clinical trial, please let us know.