What We Treat
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition marked by uncontrollable recurring thoughts, repetitive behaviors, or both. Left untreated, OCD can significantly interfere with work, relationships, and daily life.
Treatment for OCD
OCD is a chronic condition, but treatment helps individuals manage symptoms and re-engage with daily life, even in severe presentations.
At Pasadena Villa, OCD treatment combines medication management and evidence-based psychotherapy within an individualized plan built around each person’s symptoms, history, and goals.
Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is the most widely recommended treatment for OCD. Pasadena Villa Great Lakes offers a dedicated OCD program with ERP, available across residential, partial hospitalization (PHP), and intensive outpatient (IOP) levels of care.
Co-occurring substance use disorders are common among individuals with OCD, often as an attempt to self-medicate or manage unwanted symptoms. Because substance use can worsen OCD symptoms, treating both conditions concurrently in an integrated setting is essential to meaningful progress.
Defining obsessive-compulsive disorder
OCD symptoms typically emerge between late childhood and early adulthood, appearing as uncontrollable obsessive thoughts, compulsive repetitive behaviors, or both. Obsessions and compulsions may begin gradually, change over time, intensify under stress, and recede for periods before returning.
Some individuals with OCD also experience a tic disorder involving repetitive movements or sounds. Unwanted thoughts and behaviors can consume hours each day and cause significant distress, leading some people to avoid triggering situations or turn to substance use as a way to cope. Effective treatment is available at every stage of the condition.
Approximately 2.3% of US adults — or 1 in 40 people — will experience OCD at some point in their lives.
FAQs
Questions About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?
OCD is a chronic mental health condition characterized by obsessions, which are uncontrollable recurring thoughts, images, or urges, and compulsions, which are repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to reduce the distress those obsessions cause. Symptoms can consume hours each day and interfere significantly with work, relationships, and daily functioning.
What are the signs and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Common obsessions include fear of contamination, unwanted intrusive thoughts, a need for symmetry or exactness, and persistent doubt.
Common compulsions include excessive cleaning or handwashing, checking, counting, arranging, and seeking reassurance.
Most individuals with OCD recognize that their obsessions and compulsions are excessive, which does not make them easier to resist.
When should someone seek help for OCD?
Professional support is recommended when obsessions or compulsions consume significant time, cause distress, or interfere with work, school, relationships, or daily responsibilities.
Because OCD symptoms tend to intensify without treatment and can lead to avoidance or substance use as a coping strategy, earlier intervention generally produces better outcomes.
What are the risk factors for OCD?
While the exact causes of OCD are unknown, risk factors including genetics, biology, temperament, and childhood trauma can increase the chances of developing the disorder.
- Genetics – Having a first-degree relative (parent or sibling) with OCD is associated with an increased chance of developing the disorder.
- Biology – Brain imaging studies have shown that individuals with OCD often have differences in the frontal cortex and subcortical structures of the brain, areas of the brain that impact the ability to control behavior and emotional responses.
- Temperament – Those who exhibit more reserved behaviors, experience negative emotions, and show symptoms of anxiety and depression as children are more likely to develop OCD.
- Childhood trauma – Some studies have reported an association between childhood trauma and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
How is OCD diagnosed?
There is no laboratory test for OCD. Diagnosis is made by a licensed mental health professional through a clinical evaluation that assesses the nature, frequency, and functional impact of obsessions and compulsions, and rules out other conditions that may present similarly. At Pasadena Villa, diagnostic assessment is part of the admissions process.
What is the most effective treatment for OCD?
Exposure and response prevention (ERP), a specialized form of cognitive behavioral therapy, is the most extensively researched and widely recommended treatment for OCD. ERP is frequently combined with medication management, particularly for moderate to severe symptoms. Pasadena Villa Great Lakes offers ERP as part of a dedicated OCD program.
Can OCD be cured?
OCD is considered a chronic condition rather than one that resolves permanently, but symptoms can be reduced substantially with effective treatment. Many individuals reach a point where obsessions and compulsions no longer meaningfully interfere with daily life. Ongoing skill use and, in some cases, continued medication support that progress.
Pasadena Villa
Our Levels of Care
Pasadena Villa offers a comprehensive continuum of care — from residential treatment to partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) programs — ensuring individuals and families find the right level of support at every stage of treatment.
Take the next step at Pasadena Villa.
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