What is OCD Disorder?
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder that is fairly common in adults. The Anxiety & Depression Association of America reports that about 1% of adults in America suffer from OCD. Those with the disorder find their lives hindered by numerous obsessions and compulsions, making it hard to focus and complete tasks and disrupting the flow of their day-to-day lives. While there is no cure for OCD, it is typically manageable through medication, therapy, or both. However, recent research has proven ketamine to be quite effective in controlling the disorder.
As an anxiety disorder, the symptoms of OCD are often very similar to anxiety. These symptoms include panic attacks, increased heart rate, difficulty breathing or sleeping, and a sense of impending danger or doom. However, in OCD, these symptoms are related to specific obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are persistent and unwanted thoughts, urges, or images typically associated with paranoia (e.g. extreme fear of dirt, disease, harm), violence (e.g. harming oneself or others), or perfectionism (e.g. being obsessed with symmetry, patterns, or things being a certain way).
If you or someone you know is suffering from OCD and you think ketamine treatment sounds like a viable option, don’t hesitate to contact us for an evaluation and get started on your journey to better mental health today.
- treat OCD, PTSD, Anxiety & depression
- treat your OCD safely
- manage your OCD more quickly
- work on your progress more privately
ketamine therapy is showing more promise for treating people afflicted with OCD. Ketamine works differently than traditional antidepressants because antidepressants target serotonin levels to boost one’s mood and reduce stress and negative thoughts, while ketamine focuses on a different chemical, glutamate, instead. There is increasing evidence that glutamate plays a role in causing, or contributing to, OCD symptoms.
Medications typically used to treat the disorder are antidepressants, which act as mood regulators to control the stress and anxiety of the person. However, therapy for OCD treatment can be an ongoing process and requires a lot of stressful work on the patient’s part. On top of that, medication is often ineffective and may carry the typical side effects associated with antidepressants.
ketamine treatment has resulted in almost immediate relief of symptoms. In addition to being fast and effective, the side effects of ketamine are often minimal and typically subside within a day once the substance has made its way through the body.
