OCD Treatment Near You in Miramar Beach
Take Back Your Time With OCD Treatment in Miramar Beach
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can turn an ordinary day into a long list of worries and rituals. Unwanted thoughts keep coming back, and the urge to do something to calm them can take over hours of your time. OCD is a medical condition, and treatment can make daily life feel lighter. It often overlaps with anxiety disorders and major depression, and care can address all of it together.
At Sea Breeze Psychiatry, Dr. Larry De Lay has practiced psychiatry since 2008 and is board certified through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He helps adults with OCD through medication management, with brief psychotherapy available on request. Visits are available in person in Miramar Beach or by telehealth for Florida residents.
If OCD is taking up more of your day than you want, request an appointment with our team. We’ll listen to what you’re going through and talk about what could help.
Signs of OCD and What Causes It
What to Know About OCD and Your Treatment Options
OCD involves unwanted thoughts and repeated behaviors that are hard to control and take up a lot of time. It’s treatable, and a psychiatrist can help you sort out which approach fits you.
Signs, Types, and Causes of OCD
OCD has two parts. Obsessions are unwanted thoughts, urges, or mental images that cause anxiety, like a fear of germs or a worry that something terrible will happen. Compulsions are behaviors you feel driven to repeat to ease that distress, such as washing, checking, arranging, and silently repeating words. The signs of OCD often include relief that lasts only a short time before the thoughts return.
People often talk about types of OCD based on the main theme. Common themes include contamination fears, checking, a need for order or symmetry, and unwanted thoughts about harm. A person can have more than one theme, and themes can shift over time.
OCD is not rare. According to National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) statistics on OCD(opens in a new tab), about 1.2% of U.S. adults had OCD in the past year. At some point in their lives, 2.3% have it.
The causes of OCD aren’t fully known, and researchers are still studying how the pieces fit together. Genes seem to play a role, since having a close relative with OCD raises the risk. Differences in certain parts of the brain, a more reserved or anxious temperament, and childhood trauma have also been linked to OCD.
When to See a Provider
Consider seeing a provider when unwanted thoughts or rituals take up a lot of your day or cause distress. It’s also worth reaching out if they get in the way of work, school, or relationships. You don’t need to wait until symptoms feel severe, or to be sure it’s OCD, before you ask for an evaluation.
These signs can mean it’s time to reach out:
- Rituals that run your schedule: You run late, or you avoid places and people because of them.
- Thoughts that feel stuck: You can’t set them aside, and they cause fear or shame.
- Symptoms that are getting worse: The rituals take more time than they used to.
- Worry or low mood on top of OCD: OCD often comes with anxiety disorders or major depression.
A psychiatric evaluation is a good place to start. It helps your provider understand what you’re experiencing and what could help.
How Our Team Treats OCD
OCD is usually treated with talk therapy, medication, or both. At Sea Breeze Psychiatry, care centers on medication management, with brief psychotherapy available on request.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most common medicines for OCD. As antidepressants, they raise the amount of serotonin, a chemical messenger in the brain. Your provider will explain what to expect, including side effects and how long a medicine may take to work. Medication management also covers adjusting doses over time. Patients who want to lower a dose or come off a medicine can plan that with their provider.
A talk therapy called exposure and response prevention (ERP) has strong research support for treatment for OCD. It’s a type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect. ERP helps people face feared situations step by step without doing the ritual. Your provider can talk with you about whether ERP makes sense alongside your medication. Brief psychotherapy, such as CBT or supportive therapy, can also be added on request.
You can see us in person at our Miramar Beach office. Patients who live in Florida can also meet with us through telepsychiatry.
Warning Signs That Need Prompt Attention
Reach out soon if OCD starts to get in the way of eating, sleeping, or caring for yourself. The same is true if you feel hopeless or trapped by your symptoms. OCD that goes untreated can grow more severe and take over more of your day.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), or call 911 for an emergency.
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Frequently Asked Questions
OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, is a condition with unwanted, repeating thoughts and behaviors done to ease them. The thoughts are called obsessions, and the behaviors are called compulsions. Both are hard to control and take up a lot of time. People with OCD often get little pleasure from the rituals, only short relief.
Not by itself, since liking things tidy or planned is common. OCD involves distressing thoughts you can’t set aside and behaviors you feel driven to do. It also takes up a lot of time and gets in the way of daily life. If your habits cause distress or limit what you can do, an evaluation can help you find out more.
OCD is treated with talk therapy, medication, or both. The International OCD Foundation calls exposure and response prevention (ERP) the first-line talk therapy for OCD because of its strong evidence base. A typical course of ERP runs 12 to 20 sessions, though it can be adjusted for each person. Our team can talk with you about how medication and talk therapy could fit together.
OCD medicines can take 8 to 12 weeks before symptoms start to improve, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. That can feel like a long wait. Your provider will check in on how you’re doing and can adjust your plan if needed.
Talk with your provider before you stop. Stopping on your own can bring symptoms back or cause other problems. Our team can help you plan a safe way to lower a dose or come off a medicine when the time is right. You can read more about how medication management works at our practice.
Both can involve worry, but OCD adds repeated rituals or mental acts done to ease the worry. Anxiety disorders involve worry or fear without that pattern of compulsions, though the two often occur together. You can learn more about anxiety treatment on our anxiety page.