Category: Obsessions and Compulsions / OCD
The Good Therapy Blog
May 14th, 2012 |
I’m a big fan of analogies and metaphors. When I think about eating disorders and recovery, analogies and metaphors often form in my mind, and I use them to describe and explain the process of the development of and recovery from a disordered relationship with food and the body. I’ve developed quite a supply of them, but I’ve never written them down—until now.
Here are some of the analogies that I’ve created over the years. I hope you find them helpful.
Video Game
Recovery is like playing a video game. In a video game, you start out with little experience or skill, and you eventually... Read More
March 22nd, 2012 |
I recently had the opportunity to share a few articles here on anger and how this affects us. It is my pleasure to now begin writing a bit about anxiety and how this, too, is a major issue for many of us. In fact, anxiety disorders are being seen more and more across the ages. For example, I see more children these days—no kidding—worrying how they will do on school/state-wide testing and other children overwhelmed with their family's separation or divorce. Then there are all of us adults overwhelmed with the economy, job, and housing issues and not feeling a positive sense of control over... Read More
March 16th, 2012 |
Viewing internet pornography (IP) is an activity that has grown dramatically in recent years. Some individuals who view IP admit that it has negatively impacted their lives by increasing their feelings of anxiety and depression and creating conflict within their intimate relationships. Some people who spend an excessive amount of time viewing IP experience problems with work, finances, and even sexual fulfillment. Others, however, do not develop problems resulting from IP. Research has demonstrated that IP use is caused by lack of impulse control, compulsive behavior and is often used as a coping... Read More
© Copyright 2012 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Phoenix Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
February 15th, 2012 |
Obsessive-compulsive-disorder (OCD) is currently listed under anxiety disorders in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). However, the upcoming revised edition of the DSM proposes removing OCD from this category and listing it under the heading of related OCD conditions, which include body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) tic disorders, eating disorders, alcohol and drug dependence, trichotillomania, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), and other impulse disorders, such as kleptomania.... Read More
© Copyright 2012 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Miami Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
February 2nd, 2012 |
Eating disorders (ED) can manifest in different ways and most often develop during adolescence. Anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia, and binge eating are just some of the problems that teens struggle with when they develop eating and food issues. Existing research has demonstrated a link between obsessive-compulsive behaviors and disordered eating, but little attention has been given to how the presence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children affects the... Read More
© Copyright 2012 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Louisville Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
January 31st, 2012 |
One risk factor for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is something known as neurological soft signs (NSS). These minor disturbances in brain functioning have been shown to be present in people with OCD more often than in people without OCD. Some studies have isolated NSS and discovered that individuals with OCD and NSS have impaired reflexes and motor coordination, as well as more severe symptoms of the disorder. Other risk factors that have been suggested are decreased intelligence, temperament, childhood trauma, and emotional functioning.... Read More
© Copyright 2012 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Denver Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
November 16th, 2011 |
Social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, as well as other means of electronic communications such as texting, are no longer the wave of the future: they are the here and now.
Online dating is one of the most popular ways of meeting people and dating these days. We get to weed out people we are incompatible with by really getting to know them online, and then add in the last senses of touch and smell if and when we decide to meet someone in person. This is actually an old way of developing connections. Pen pals, and dating long distance where phone conversations and letter sending... Read More
August 26th, 2011 |
Hoarding is a form of obsessive-compulsive behavior. An individual who exhibits hoarding tendencies has a difficult time letting go of physical items and becomes inundated with possessions, often to the point of causing physical and financial harm. Previous research has identified a link between people who hoard and obesity. Now, a new study led by Kiara R. Timpano of the Department of Psychology at the University of Miami, aims to determine if the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is responsible for that link. “Studies... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Lafayette Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
June 16th, 2011 |
Last week, I had the privilege of presenting a web conference on disordered eating for Good Therapy. In the course of the web conference, I was asked a question about orthorexia. Thinking about what to write for this month’s article, this Q&A exchange about orthorexia popped into my head. I realized I’d not done more than mention it in passing in my Good Therapy articles, and thought I’d take... Read More
June 10th, 2011 |
Researchers at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust’s (SLaM) OCD Service in collaboration with the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) have discovered an increase in the development of eating disorders in children who were previously diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A new study found that nearly one in ten children who had OCD later went on to develop an eating disorder, a higher statistic than is found in those without OCD. Dr. Nadia... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Hollywood Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
May 30th, 2011 |
A new study suggests variance in the brain activity of people suffering from body dysmorphia. According to Dr. Jamie Feusner, a UCLA assistant professor of psychiatry, people with body image issues have decreased brain activity when they view holistic images. “No study until this one has investigated the brain’s activity for visually processing objects in people with BDD,” said Feusner, director of the Obsessive-Compulsive... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Rolling Hills Estates Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
May 28th, 2011 |
New research appears to confirm what cognitive behavioral therapists have emphasized, that compulsive behavior is the monumental force in people with obsessive compulsive patterns. A recent study examined the behaviors of 40 test subjects in a task that involved habitual behaviors and outcomes. The participants, half of whom had obsessive-compulsive tendencies, were able to win points based on their response to various stimuli. The researchers, led by Claire... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Dallas Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
May 15th, 2011 |
Researchers believe they have found a way to identify children who have major depressive symptoms from those who have obsessive-compulsive tendencies. A study conducted by scientists at Wayne State University, examined the cortical thickness of clients with major depression, those with obsessive compulsive tendencies, and a control group. The findings showed that the clients who were diagnosed with depression had cortical thinning in five key regions, and thickness in... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist San Jose Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
March 22nd, 2011 |
Many people who suffer from anxiety issues do not receive the help they need due to lack of resources or mobility. Two forward thinking doctors recently concluded a study that uses modern technology as a delivery system for psychotherapy. Dr. James Herbert and Dr. Evan Forman, psychology professors and directors of Drexel's Anxiety Treatment and Research Program, discovered that videoconferencing technologies can offer a user-friendly and cost effective treatment... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Denver Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
