Ketamine for OCD Treatment
What doctors are calling a promising novel therapy for OCD and anxiety.
Why Ketamine?
At Genesis Ketamine Centers, we are proud to offer the latest in mental health treatment options. In addition to high levels of safety standards and patient care, Genesis Ketamine Centers utilizes ketamine infusion therapy for the treatment of OCD, as well as other mood disorders like depression, PTSD, and anxiety.
Our mission statement at Genesis Ketamine Centers is to provide personalized, high-quality management options for people struggling with treatment-resistant conditions. Ketamine infusions have proven to be a powerful and rapid treatment for OCD and other mental health conditions.
How Does Ketamine Help With OCD?
With traditional treatments for anxiety disorders like OCD, it can sometimes take weeks or months before you experience symptom relief. Ketamine is an exciting new treatment option because in some cases it can provide relief from anxiety symptoms within days or even hours.
Ketamine for OCD treatment offers safe and efficient relief from many of the symptoms of the condition and allows conventional treatments such as psychotherapy to work better. In our practice, up to 75% of patients report a positive response after completing the full treatment series, some with results after the first infusion.
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What is OCD?
OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) is a mental health condition characterized by intrusive thoughts (known as obsessions) that lead you to perform ritualistic behaviors (known as compulsions). Occasional obsessive thoughts or compulsions are experienced by most people, but more than 2 million adults in the United States suffer from OCD.
While OCD can make you feel hopeless or isolated, the symptoms can be managed with medication. Therapy may also provide healthy coping mechanisms or new ways of thinking that bring relief.
What are the Symptom Subtypes of OCD?
- Contamination Obsession with Washing and Cleaning Compulsion. Identified by obsessive notions about contamination and compulsions of extreme cleaning or washing.
- Harm Obsessions with Checking Compulsions. Identified by obsessive thoughts about potential damage to yourself or others, and compulsions including checking rituals to relieve your anxiety.
- Symmetry Obsessions with Ordering/Arranging/Counting Compulsions. Characterized through obsessive thoughts about symmetry and compulsions to make every little thing orderly until they are “just right.”
- Obsessions Without Visible Compulsions. Identified by intrusive thoughts about religious, intimate, or aggressive themes. Triggers related to these themes are typically steered clear of as much as possible.
- Hoarding. Characterized through obsessive anxieties of getting rid of items or belongings that you may need one day.
What are the Symptoms of OCD?
Obsessions
Obsessions are persistent and unwanted thoughts, feelings, or images that cause distress or anxiety. Those with OCD may try to ignore them by performing a compulsive behavior. Obsessions typically intrude when you’re going about your daily life, often getting in the way of your personal goals.
Examples of obsessions include:
- Fear of contamination
- Needing things orderly and symmetrical
- Aggressive or horrific thoughts about harming yourself or others
- Unwanted thoughts, including sexual or religious subjects
Signs and symptoms of obsession can include:
- Fear of contamination when touching objects others have touched
- Intense stress when objects aren’t orderly
- Images or intrusive thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else
- Thoughts of shouting obscenities or acting inappropriately
- Avoidance of situations that can trigger obsessions
- Distress about unpleasant sexual images repeating in your mind
Compulsions
Compulsions are repetitive behaviors that you feel as though you have to perform. Usually, these compulsions are in an effort to reduce anxiety from obsessive or intrusive thoughts. However, these compulsions often provide only temporary relief from anxiety.
Someone with OCD may make up rules or rituals they follow to help control this anxiety when having obsessive thoughts. These compulsions are usually excessive and not realistically related to the problem they’re intended to fix.
Much like obsessions, compulsions typically have themes as well, including:
- Washing and cleaning
- Checking
- Counting
- Orderliness
- Following strict routines
- Demanding reassurances
Examples of compulsion signs and symptoms include:
- Hand-washing until skin becomes raw
- Checking doors repeatedly to make sure they’re locked
- Checking the stove repeatedly to make sure it’s off
- Counting in certain patterns
- Silently repeating a prayer, word, or phrase
- Arranging your canned goods to face the same way
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What are the Causes of OCD?
The exact cause of OCD is still not fully understood by science, but it is thought that the following factors play a part:
- Biology. OCD may simply be a result of changes in your body or brain’s chemistry.
- Genetics. While OCD may have a genetic component, specific genes have yet to be identified.
- Environment. Factors such as infections or medical conditions have been suggested as a trigger for OCD.
How Do You Prevent OCD?
There is no surefire way to prevent OCD. Getting treatment as soon as possible can help prevent OCD from worsening and negatively affecting your life. Some people with previously treatment-resistant OCD have experienced great success with the arrival of ketamine infusions, an innovative new treatment option.
What are the Risk Factors for OCD?
Some factors that may increase the risk of triggering OCD may include:
- Family history. Family members with the disorder can increase your risk of developing OCD.
- Stressful life events. This reaction may sometimes trigger the intrusive thoughts, rituals, and emotional distress associated with OCD.
- Other mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, or substance abuse disorders.
Break Free From The Obsession Of OCD
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If you or a loved one is struggling with OCD, and other treatment methods have failed to provide relief, then ketamine may be a viable treatment option for you. Contact us today to learn more about our ketamine infusions for OCD treatment in our office.
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