OCD is one of the most under-treated conditions we see, and the reason is rarely the medication.
It is that OCD is treated like anxiety or depression: a standard dose, a six-week trial, and a conclusion that “SSRIs don’t work for you.” OCD responds to the same medicines, but on its own terms: higher doses than are used for depression, trials of ten to twelve weeks before judging them, and a defined sequence of next steps when the first choice is not enough. We also take the diagnosis itself seriously. Intrusive thoughts, rituals and rigidity appear in several conditions that need different treatment, and getting that distinction right at the first visit is most of the work.
OCD sits where two of the four perspectives meet: it is a disease of the brain, and it is a behavior that has learned to feed itself. Medication addresses the first. Exposure and response prevention (ERP) addresses the second. The best outcomes we see come from both at once, so we work alongside an ERP therapist rather than in place of one.
A 60-minute evaluation by video, or 90 minutes when the diagnosis itself is in question (a comprehensive evaluation or second opinion). We map the obsessions and compulsions, measure severity so we can track change, and rule in or out the conditions that imitate OCD: obsessive-compulsive personality traits, hoarding, body-focused repetitive behaviors, tic disorders, autism-spectrum rigidity, and the ruminations of depression or psychosis. You leave with a diagnosis, a medication plan with its timeline stated in advance, and, where needed, a referral for ERP that we coordinate with.
Cost and insurance. Covered by the plans we accept; self-pay rates are on our insurance page.
Often because it was given at a depression dose for a depression-length trial. OCD usually needs a higher dose, held for ten to twelve weeks, before a judgment is fair. We state the dose and the timeline at the first visit.
For most people, yes. Exposure and response prevention treats the behavioral side of OCD that medication does not reach. We coordinate with your ERP therapist, and we can refer you to one.
Yes, in both directions. Hoarding, tic disorders, obsessive-compulsive personality traits, autism-spectrum rigidity and depressive rumination all overlap with OCD and are treated differently. Sorting this out is the purpose of the first visit.