Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

For Mesa-area residents suffering from OCD, anxiety, or trauma disorders, a path to healing has been illuminated.

The OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center recently opened its first Arizona location in Mesa at a state-of-the-art, 21,000-square-foot building near Extension and Baseline roads. The center’s first two facilities in Utah have treated thousands of individuals since 2015.

Since misinformation about OCD runs rampant, the center wants to help educate the community about this often misunderstood diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.

While most people think they understand obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to these mental health diagnoses.

OCD is characterized by the presence of obsessions (unwanted, intrusive thoughts that cause significant distress) and compulsions (behaviors performed in an attempt to neutralize the discomfort caused by the obsessions). Many people have heard the myth that in order to have OCD, you need to be obsessed with handwashing, cleanliness or organization.

In fact, obsessions and compulsions can reveal themselves in many different ways.

Individuals who suffer from OCD can have intrusive thoughts about a multitude of themes: harm, relationships, moral and religious scrupulosity, health, perfectionism and more.

While physical compulsions like hand-washing, cleaning and lock-checking are more widely known, it’s important to remember that compulsions can be mental, too. Some people may ruminate on an outcome or engage in excessive prayer to neutralize the distress of an obsession. Others try to calm themselves through reassurance-seeking or researching.

Help can be found right here in the Valley for those who are suffering from the symptoms of OCD and anxiety disorders. The OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center helps people get a handle on their symptoms through the use of exposure-based therapies like exposure and response prevention (ERP).

The International OCD Foundation found that exposure-based treatment with a combination of medication management is the most effective way to treat OCD. ERP encourages clients to face their fears in order to retrain their brain’s alarm system.

Those who believe they or someone they know is struggling with symptoms of OCD can take the center’s free online test to learn more.

Anyone who could benefit from The OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center’s specialized services is encouraged to reach out by phone at 480-900-1000 or by email at admissions@liveuncertain.com.