OCD and OCPD are often confused because they share similar names, but they are very different experiences. OCD is driven by intrusive, anxiety-provoking thoughts that feel unwanted and exhausting, while OCPD is a pattern of perfectionism and control that often feels justified and necessary. Understanding the difference can help reduce shame, clarify what is really going on, and point you toward the right kind of support.

Scrupulosity OCD targets morality, faith, and values, creating relentless doubt and guilt. Learn how to recognize the signs and how treatment can help.

HOCD can create intense fear, doubt, and confusion about sexual orientation. This post explains how OCD fuels intrusive thoughts and arousal sensations and why certainty seeking keeps the anxiety alive.

Do you feel constantly aware of your bladder, even right after using the bathroom? Do you question whether you really need to pee, worry about having an accident, or feel stuck monitoring sensations all day long? Bladder fullness or emptiness OCD is a form of anxiety where the brain fixates on normal body sensations and treats them like a threat. The good news is that this type of OCD is very treatable with the right approach.

Worrying that drinking could cause you to lose your memory and do something harmful is a common but misunderstood OCD fear. This kind of anxiety is not about alcohol itself. It is about uncertainty, control, and deeply held values. In this post, we explore why OCD targets drinking, how the fear cycle works, and what actually helps you feel free again.

OCD often targets what matters most, including love, identity, and connection. HOCD and ROCD create intrusive, distressing doubts about sexual orientation or romantic relationships, leading to cycles of anxiety, reassurance seeking, and emotional exhaustion. In this article, we explore how these themes work from a neuroscience perspective and how evidence-based therapy can help you break free from obsessive doubt and rebuild trust in yourself.

Health anxiety OCD often shows up as constant monitoring of the body. Heart rate trackers, Apple Watches, Oura Rings, Google searches, Reddit threads, and even AI tools can become compulsions that quietly worsen anxiety. This article explores how reassurance seeking and health tracking keep OCD in control, and how ERP helps people step out of the cycle and back into their lives.

Poison OCD can make everyday moments feel terrifying, from wondering if you accidentally got bleach in your mouth to worrying that your food is contaminated or poisoned. These thoughts feel vivid and urgent, but they are symptoms of OCD, not real danger. With the right support and ERP therapy, you can learn to trust yourself again and find relief from the constant fear.

Religious beliefs can be a powerful source of comfort, but for individuals with OCD and moral scrupulosity, faith can become tangled with fear and self-doubt. Instead of feeling supported by their spiritual traditions, they often feel terrified of sin, punishment, or “getting it wrong.” This article helps you understand the difference between authentic faith and OCD-driven worry, and offers practical tools for practicing your religion with confidence, peace, and compassion.

Supporting someone you love through OCD can feel overwhelming, especially when you want to help but aren’t sure how to do it without making symptoms worse. This guide—drawing from IOCDF’s research and expert recommendations—offers a compassionate roadmap for partners, parents, and families. You’ll learn how to reduce unhelpful reassurance, understand family accommodation, support ERP treatment, and care for your own well-being along the way. With the right approach, you and your loved one can work together to loosen OCD’s grip and reclaim your relationship, your home, and your sense of peace.

Decades of research show that Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP, produces large and lasting improvements for people with OCD. Clinical trials consistently find that most clients who complete ERP experience meaningful symptom reduction, often in the range of 40 to 60 percent. Brain imaging studies reveal why. After ERP, the fear and habit circuits involved in OCD show measurable changes, including reductions in hyperactivity in the orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and caudate nucleus. ERP does more than teach coping skills. It helps the brain relearn safety, weaken compulsions, and build resilience to intrusive thoughts. As an ERP trained therapist in Worthington and throughout Ohio, I help clients apply this evidence based method to create real, lasting change.

Many people with OCD seek therapy hoping for relief, only to find their symptoms intensify. This is not because they did anything wrong or because therapy cannot help. The problem is that traditional talk therapy often fuels the obsessive compulsive cycle by reassuring, analyzing, and debating intrusive thoughts. OCD does not improve through insight. It improves through retraining the brain. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold standard treatment that teaches the brain to tolerate uncertainty, reduce fear responses, and break compulsive loops for lasting change. As a therapist providing ERP in Worthington and across Ohio, I help clients move from fear management to real freedom.

Do you ever panic that something you ate might be poisoned—or find yourself double-checking food, drinks, or packaging “just in case”? These thoughts can feel intense and alarming, but you’re not alone. Contamination OCD often fixates on fears about danger, illness, and safety. In this article, we’ll explore why your brain jumps to worst-case scenarios, how intrusive poisoning fears develop, and what helps you break free from the anxiety loop.

Emetophobia can quietly shape your life, from what you eat to where you go. Learn what causes this fear and how therapy can help you reclaim peace and confidence.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is more than just being self-conscious about appearance. Learn how CBT-BDD helps you break free from obsessive thoughts and behaviors, understand the connection between BDD and OCD, and find the right therapist in Columbus, Ohio.

If you struggle with hair pulling, skin picking, or other BFRBs, you’re not alone. These behaviors are not about willpower — they’re complex, often linked to anxiety, and require specialized treatment. As a therapist who helps clients across Ohio heal from BFRBs using evidence-based care, I’ll share how to find the right kind of support.

Do you ever feel trapped in your own thoughts, replaying the same worries and searching for certainty that never comes? Many people wonder if what they’re experiencing is anxiety or something deeper like OCD. While both can create intense fear and overthinking, OCD works differently in the brain. This article breaks down the key differences, how to spot the signs, and when to seek help from an OCD therapist in Ohio who specializes in exposure and response prevention (ERP).

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is so much more than handwashing or needing things “just right.” It affects millions of people, often in deeply personal and invisible ways. This post explores the hidden signs of OCD, its lesser-known subtypes like ROCD, HOCD, and Pure O, and related conditions such as BDD and trichotillomania. With the right specialist treatment, freedom from the cycle of obsessions and compulsions is possible.

Living with Just Right OCD often feels like an endless cycle of fixing, repeating, or adjusting until things finally “feel right.” But the relief is short-lived, and the discomfort soon returns. Unlike perfectionism, this isn’t about wanting things neat or flawless it’s about battling an overwhelming sense of incompleteness that can make daily life exhausting. The good news? With the right treatment, you can break free from the cycle and find peace.

“Do I really have OCD, or is this just anxiety?” If you’ve asked yourself this question, you’re not alone. While OCD and anxiety share similarities racing thoughts, worry, and a restless body they show up differently in the brain. OCD creates intrusive, sticky doubts that trigger compulsions, while anxiety tends to focus on real-life stressors and physical symptoms. In this post, we’ll break down the neuroscience, the signs of each, and how therapy can help you find clarity and relief.