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OCD and Addiction Treatment in California

While OCD and addiction are separate mental health disorders, they can coincide in dangerous ways. That’s why it’s so important to know each condition’s similarities and differences so you and your doctor can approach your recovery journey properly. Treating the wrong condition or dependency struggle negates the purpose of your recovery.

The following in-depth blueprint about OCD and addiction, their relation, and how to treat it is your ultimate guide to achieving sustainable sobriety.

Are Compulsive Behaviors the Same As Addiction?

ocd and addiction treatment in californiaThe reason OCD and addiction are often misdiagnosed is because they both have very similar characteristics. However, make no mistake, they are very different conditions that require different recovery approaches. To be specific, OCD is characterized by obsessive fears or thoughts that trigger a compulsive response. For example, people with OCD may have a fear of germs, triggering a repetitive cycle of hand washing. This cycle can last for minutes, hours, or even longer until the mental cycle is broken by an external source.

Addictions, on the other hand, are habits triggered by a chemical dependency produced by addictive substances. One condition, OCD, is caused by impulsive mental processes, and the other, SUD, is caused by external substances that affect the mental process.

How are OCD and Addiction Disorders Connected?

As alluded to earlier, obsessive-compulsive and addiction disorders, though different entities are cut from the same cloth. The only difference is it takes using substances to become dependent, while OCD is mentally acquired beyond the individual’s control. The circumstances listed below outline the specific ways substance use disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders are connected.

Both Conditions Have Similar Symptoms

OCD and addiction often have very similar symptoms. That’s the main reason these co-occurring disorders can be misdiagnosed or overlooked throughout the diagnosis process. For example, somebody with an addiction struggle may also have obsessive-compulsive disorder but are only being treated for addiction. These types of dual-diagnosis treatments require very specific treatments to treat the underlying OCD to achieve true sobriety. If you treat addiction without treating the source mental condition that exacerbates addiction, relapse is inevitable.

Coinciding OCD and Substance Dependency Can Health Lethal Consequences

Possessing both Addiction and OCD is the most lethal combination for anybody struggling with substance abuse. With obsessive-compulsive disorders triggering repetitive actions, it can feed the addictive mentality to the point of accidental overdose. This is just one of the many ways, the two free off of each other in the most dangerous way.

OCD Increases Your Risk of Developing Addiction

Nearly three million adults in America suffer from OCD. Statistics show OCD automatically increases your risk of developing a co-occurring substance use disorder. In perspective, the same statistic cites more than a third of OCD sufferers could develop an addiction. Therefore, getting medical assistance for obsessive-compulsive disorders can help you prevent or reverse addictive tendencies.

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What are the Symptoms of OCD?

OCD has very telling indicators that distinguish it from other mental health conditions. Identifying these symptoms is the key to a correct diagnosis and the proper recovery path. All aforementioned factors considered, here are the most evident symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Hoarding

Hoarding is an impulsive inability to get rid of belongings that have little or no use. This impulse is also a telling symptom and side effect of an obsessive-compulsive mentality. People with OCD often possess an uncontrollable need to hold onto any possessions. This, in turn, disrupts your daily life in several areas, including impacting your closest relationships. If you or a loved one exhibit any symptoms of hoarding, seek medical assistance for mental health evaluation.

Repetitive Rituals or Behavior

OCD behaviors commonly induce uncontrollable repetitive behaviors and rituals. These repetitive behaviors can be pretty much anything. Examples include repetitive washing of hands, continually wiping or scrubbing already clean surfaces, repeating word phrases, or other seemingly insignificant actions. These actions can persist for an extended duration outside of the individual’s control. It’s vital to understand this is not the OCDstruggler’s fault and does not make anyone ‘crazy’. It’s a mental struggle that requires serious medical attention, and intensive outpatient treatment can be an effective approach to managing these symptoms.

Persistent Readjustment of Objects or Personal Attire

People with OCD will exhibit their compulsive behaviors by persistently adjusting their surroundings. For example, they will persistently adjust picture frames or color code their environment until their mental cycle is satisfied. This can also result in constantly rearranging furniture or rooming arrangements until their mental cycle has been completed.

Easily Irritable

Obsessive disorders are the result of chemical deficiencies. Those same chemical deficiencies are also known to increase anger and irritability. Add the fact that OCD is frustrating for anyone to bear and it can have compounding effects on anger issues. This common side effect of OCD is also an addiction side effect, making it easier to go unnoticed or misdiagnosed. Reach out to Immersive Recovery for the most accurate diagnosis. We will ensure you get the proper diagnosis for all conditions you may have.

Excessive and Unfounded Fear or Anxiety

OCD naturally elevates anxiety levels to enormous heights, resulting in excessive and obsessive fears. These fears, however, are without cause, leading to even more erratic behavioral impulses. If left untreated, these fears lead to depression and mental instability, causing the sufferer to be a danger to themselves or others.

What are the Common Symptoms of Addiction?

Some substance abuse symptoms can disguise themselves as other mental health conditions. However, there are telling signs that distinguish addiction symptoms from other mental disorders. Here are the most tell-tale signs and behaviors distinctly associated with substance use disorders.

Fatigue

An utter lack of energy for no apparent reason is a tell-tale sign of substance abuse. That’s because drugs take a toll on your body, resulting in excessive tiredness or fatigue when the effects wear off. Substance-induced fatigue will occur regardless of how much sleep you get. If you fear you or someone you love may be suffering from addiction-caused lack of energy or fatigue, reach out to a caring representative to get medical help.

Reclusiveness

Anybody struggling with addiction gives silent indicators by excluding themselves from friends and family. This behavior manifests itself by avoiding social gatherings with family and friends. This includes taking advanced measures to avoid encountering family or friends by shutting themselves away from loved ones. This means spending extended time alone in their room or leaving and coming back home without notice or at odd hours.

Uncharacteristic Friendship Changes

Friendship changes often occur in correlation with disappearing and returning at odd hours, as alluded to in the previous behavior. Why? Substances often enter an individual’s life as a result of peer pressure. When this happens, they will spend more time with friends who encourage substance abuse. In turn, this often leads to abandoning their former, often true friends who care about their well-being.

Severe Mood Swings

Substance use attacks the mind in a unique way that causes a neuronic imbalance, causing emotional shifts. Consider your mind as a scale that balances itself with equal neuronic weight on each side to maintain a comfortable medium. This almost always results in drastic mood swings in response to minor disagreements or inconveniences in anybody who abuses substances.

Memory Impairment

Drugs have both short-term and long-term effects on memory retention over time. Thus, persistent and uncharacteristic forgetfulness is an indication that drugs could be present in one’s life. Prolonged use can make these memory deficiencies permanent if left untreated. The good news is, that many memory issues can be reversed and preserved with the correct medical assistance.

What are the Most Effective Treatment Programs for OCD and Addiction

ocd and addiction treatment center

Immersive Recovery understands treatment is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Therefore, the most effective treatment for mental health varies on a case-by-case basis depending on recovery needs and the depth of your condition. We specialize in personalizing your recovery through the following effective programs for SUD and OCD.

Dual-Diagnosis Treatment: OCD and Addiction

If you possess multiple mental health conditions in conjunction with an addiction disorder, dual-diagnosis treatment is the only proper way to achieve long-term sobriety. These treatment programs help you manage the source mental condition that helps you take control of your co-occurring addiction disorders.

One-on-One Therapy

One-on-one sessions with a trained physician can be the greatest remedy for addiction, obsessive-compulsive, and other mental disorders. Some people respond better by opening up to a single person rather than multiple in larger sessions like group therapy. Through individualized talk therapy and mental training, your doctors can help you proactively talk through your mental health struggles. In addition, they’ll equip you with strong mental tools to stand independently in sobriety and manage your mental health symptoms.

Immerse Yourself in the Life-Changing Rehab of Immersive Recovery

Immersive Recovery lives up to its name by dedicating their lives to your recovery. You’ll be met with an unparalleled team that makes your treatment and your needs their sole passion. You’ll be equipped with a new perspective in life with therapists and doctors you can trust by your side to be the greatest support you could ever have. Reach out to a caring representative today to verify your coverage and begin the healing process of recovery.

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