Category: Anxiety
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Postpartum OCD: One Therapist’s Reflections
One of my colleagues, a well-known expert in OCD, recently made a brave public announcement. Before I share it, I want to explain one aspect that makes her so effective as an OCD therapist. She herself suffered with debilitating OCD for many years and overcame it to live a full, productive…
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A Very Informative Interview About OCD
There are so many misconceptions about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. In particular, people frequently think it is about being neat, tidy, and organized. They often think it doesn’t affect children. Very importantly, people do not realize that OCD requires specialized treatment by someone trained to do a particular kind of Cognitive Behavior…
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Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: Achieving Your Goal
The music is pumping, the class is full, and the energy is palpable in the room. Fitness trainer and indoor cycling instructor Wendell Mitchell moves through the rows of students. “Get comfortable being uncomfortable!” he calls over the music, and the students respond, each giving a little more than they…
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Parents as Part of the Treatment Team
I am preparing to head to the annual conference of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). I look forward to conferences like this one because they provide inspiration for the work I do and the opportunity to interact with the latest information and the great minds that are…
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About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
This week (October 14-20, 2013) is International OCD Awareness Week. Since promoting OCD awareness is a particular passion of mine, of course I’d like to seize on the opportunity to do a little educating. Just what is OCD? How does it present? Is it treatable? Let’s start with a little background about…
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“Why Can’t You Just Stop Thinking About It?”
A little while ago, I took a walk in a park that was along the cliffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The day was clear and the view was beautiful. Except one thing kept popping up that disrupted my serenity. It was a sign that read, “DANGEROUS CONDITION. DO NOT CLIMB…
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Those Pesky “Little” Fears
Fears – we all know someone who has them. Maybe we have them ourselves. Perhaps it’s a fear of spiders or snakes. Maybe it’s a fear of swimming or flying. We hear of fears like this so commonly that many of us don’t think twice when we hear about them. We may even…
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No, That’s Not a Normal Part of Child Development
Sometimes, I wish my head could keep up with my conversations – that I had the right response at the right moment. A little while ago someone who rarely asks me about my work asked how my practice was going. I responded by mentioning how many young boys and girls…
Michelle Witkin, Ph.D. 