OCD is a mental health condition defined by a cycle of obsessions (unwanted, intrusive thoughts) and compulsions (behaviors or mental rituals performed to relieve the anxiety the obsessive thoughts cause).
This cycle can be exhausting and disruptive. It can affect your relationships, sleep, work, and self-esteem. And while it often begins in childhood or adolescence, many people don’t get diagnosed until adulthood. Often people wait until OCD becomes so disruptive that it can no longer be ignored before seeking help from a psychiatrist, like NeuPath Mind Wellness in Delray Beach.
Our plea is: don’t wait! OCD is treatable, and with newer treatment options like ketamine therapy, symptoms of OCD can be greatly reduced or eliminated.
Let’s take a look at some signs you may have OCD and available treatment options, such as ketamine therapy. Many people may be living with OCD without recognizing it because their symptoms don’t match the stereotypes of OCD, like excessive hand washing or repetitive lock checking. Here are some of the more subtle signs that can indicate you may have OCD:
Lesser-Known Symptoms of OCD
While OCD can cause compulsive hand washing or similar rituals, OCD doesn’t always look like that. In fact, many symptoms are internal and less visible. Some of the lesser-known signs you might be living with OCD are:
- Mental Compulsions
Not all compulsions are physical. Some happen entirely in your head, like silently repeating phrases, counting, or mentally reviewing past conversations to make sure you didn’t say something wrong.
- Intrusive Thoughts
Everyone has random, unwanted thoughts. But if your thoughts are violent, sexual, or morally disturbing, especially if they cause intense fear or shame, you might be dealing with OCD. The key difference is that OCD sufferers don’t want or invite these disturbing thoughts and are distressed by them.
- Hair Pulling (Trichotillomania) and Skin Picking (Excoriation)
Hair pulling and skin picking are repetitive behaviors that often occur alongside OCD. People may pull out their hair or pick at their skin repeatedly, even to the point of pain or injury, because it is a way to temporarily relieve tension or anxiety.
- Order and Symmetry Obsessions
Obsessive order goes beyond liking things neat. With OCD, the need for symmetry or order isn’t a preference for cleanliness, it’s a required behavior to prevent a sense of doom that something bad will happen if things aren’t arranged just right.
- Relationship Obsessions
Constant doubt about your partner can be a symptom of OCD. OCD can cause a constant obsession over relationships, such as dwelling on whether they truly love their partner, whether their partner is “the one”, or whether their partner is being faithful.
How Ketamine Therapy Helps With OCD
If you have been diagnosed with OCD – or suspect you may have OCD based on the above symptoms – ketamine therapy can be an excellent treatment option. Ketamine therapy, administered as an IV infusion, targets the glutamate system in the brain. This creates a window of neuroplasticity, a state where the brain is more adaptable to change.
For OCD treatment, this is crucial. OCD is characterized by rigid neural circuits that drive repetitive thoughts and behaviors. These obsessions and compulsions are essentially “locked in”. Ketamine’s ability to disrupt and remodel these circuits offers a unique way to “unlock” the brain and deliver real relief.
At NeuPath Mind Wellness in Delray Beach, we provide ketamine therapy for OCD treatment. Ketamine infusions are legal for treatment of OCD in Florida when administered under medical supervision. Ketamine therapy can be a powerful way to treat OCD because it targets the areas of the brain responsible for producing the obsessive thoughts and compulsions.
How Ketamine Helps Rewire the OCD Brain
Disrupts Intrusive Thought Patterns
Ketamine induces a brief dissociative state, providing mental distance from obsessive thoughts. Many patients describe it as feeling “the weight of OCD lift”. This rapid alleviation of symptoms is a crucial starting point to long-term relief.
Ketamine Induced Neuroplasticity
Ketamine blocks glutamate receptors, which prompts a surge in glutamate release and the activation of neural pathways that drive synaptic growth. This creates a state of neuroplasticity, where the brain is more amenable to change. This state of neuroplasticity lasts about 48 to 72 hours after treatment and enhances the brain’s capacity to form healthier circuits, thus driving long-term improvement.
Restoring Balance in Brain Chemistry
Research shows ketamine also raises GABA levels, which help calm hyperactive brain regions associated with OCD.
Ketamine Therapy for OCD is Backed by Research
While our own clinical experience with patients is an important data point, ketamine therapy for OCD treatment is backed by solid scientific research.
· Ketamine therapy has been shown to deliver rapid relief from OCD symptoms. In a 2013 trial, subjects reported dramatic reductions in OCD symptoms mid-infusion, with half still improved one week later. One said, “I tried to have OCD thoughts, but I couldn’t.” Source
· Patients with OCD report good tolerance of ketamine therapy, even in individuals with severe OCD. This is important because a well-tolerated procedure ensures patients are able to continue the full course of ketamine infusions and receive the full benefit. Source
· Although ketamine therapy for OCD treatment is considered an off-label treatment, ketamine is legal in Florida for OCD treatment and has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment, with faster symptom reduction than other treatment methods. Source
NeuPath Mind Wellness and Ketamine Therapy in Delray Beach
At NeuPath Mind Wellness in Delray Beach, we offer multiple psychiatric treatment options for patients, including medication, ketamine infusion therapy and Spravato. Our clinic treats a variety of mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, PTSD and OCD.
Ketamine therapy has been hailed as the greatest breakthrough in mental health treatment in the last 50 years. It is effective at treating OCD and other mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. If you live in Delray Beach, Boca Raton, or nearby in South Florida, we encourage you to visit NeuPath Mind Wellness in Delray Beach to discuss treatment options. We have helped numerous patients overcome their mental health problems and would love to help you, too.
Ready to take the first step toward feeling better? Call us today at 561-847-3662 or use our online appointment request form to schedule a consultation.
