Psychotherapy Tailored to You.

OCD is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by the presence of obsessions (irrational, repetitive thoughts) and compulsions (ritualistic behaviors used to dispel the anxiety of obsessions).

Here are some more important facts to help increase your knowledge about OCD:

• People with OCD have no control over what intrusive thoughts will pop into their brain. These thoughts can occur very frequently—often with no rhyme or reason. This is very distressing to the individual, and their compulsions are an effort to “push away” those obsessions and/or prevent them from happening again.

• OCD causes intrusive/unwanted thoughts that provoke such an extreme amount of anxiety that people feel compelled to engage in excessive compulsions. These behaviors are unwanted, distressing, and can cause emotional or physical pain. This is what differentiates the disorder from somebody who is a stickler about, let’s say, tidiness, and gains pleasure/satisfaction from cleaning and organizing.

• For some, compulsions might involve behaviors like excessive cleaning or organizing, but there are also many more prevalent subtypes of OCD.

  Common subtypes of OCD include:

  contamination OCD

  • Existential OCD

  • Harm OCD

  • Hyperawareness OCD

  • Pedophilia OCD

  • Pregnancy OCD

  • Psychosis/mental health OCD

  • Sexual orientation OCD (SO-OCD)

  • Real event OCD

  • Relationship OCD

• Symptoms of OCD can ebb and flow over time in relation to one’s anxiety level.

• People with OCD understand that their thoughts are irrational, their compulsions are unnecessary, and both cause a disproportionate amount of anxiety. As a result, individuals with OCD often seek treatment to alleviate their distress.

Where do we go from here?

It is important to not feel silenced by your OCD. Although the disorder can feel isolating, it is more common than you would think. Many people who struggle to cope with OCD symptoms often feel too ashamed to speak about them. This is unfortunate, since speaking up about an overwhelming feeling or fear can strip away the power it has over you. You might want to consider scheduling an appointment with Chicago Counseling Center to meet with our therapists who specialize in treating OCD.  Meet our team to learn more!

Struggling with anxiety and stress can feel overwhelming, impacting both your mental and physical health. We’re here to help you navigate these challenges and find relief. For those dealing with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), where excessive worry about various things persists more days than not, the effects can be especially intense—bringing symptoms like stomach discomfort, muscle tension, fatigue, heart palpitations, or irritability. Our focus is on supporting you through GAD, anxiety, and stress, helping you regain a sense of calm and control.

Binge Eating Disorder may also be referred to as “Compulsive Overeating” or “Emotional Overeating,” and it is now the most common form of eating disordered behavior in the United States.

BED is characterized by consuming a large amount of food within a very short period of time (for example, 3-4 meals-worth of food in less than 10 minutes, etc.). People who struggle with Binge Eating sometimes describe feeling as though they “black out” during a binge episode and are not fully aware of the amount they are consuming or how quickly they are consuming it. Binge Eating is typically a behavioral response to “numb out” or decrease the intensity of unpleasant feelings, thoughts, and memories. Binge Eating is an especially dangerous behavior because it can lead to numerous physical and medical complications for the person.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is an anxiety disorder that causes a person to experience excessive worries and anxiety about one or several aspects of their physical appearance. BDD affects approximately one in every 50 people. While a person of any age or gender can have BDD, it is most common in teenage and young adult women.

People with BDD:

• Become preoccupied with minimal or nonexistent flaws in their appearance

• The most common areas of fixation include skin, hair, nose, chin and teeth

• Believe these areas their body are deformed, asymmetrical, disproportional and ugly

• Spend several hours a day thinking about the area or areas of concern

• Experience clinically significant distress/impairment due to preoccupation with appearance

Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) are habits like hair-pulling, skin-picking, or nail-biting that people find hard to stop. These actions often stem from stress, anxiety, or an urge for relief, and can lead to physical discomfort or emotional frustration. We offer support to help manage and overcome BFRBs, tailoring care to your needs.

Depression can cast a heavy shadow, draining energy, dimming joy, and making even simple tasks feel overwhelming. It often brings persistent sadness, fatigue, or a sense of hopelessness. This includes Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), where these feelings deepen and linger, significantly impacting daily life. We’re here to provide compassionate support, helping you navigate depression, including MDD, toward a brighter, more balanced place.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a mental health condition characterized by excessive and persistent worry and anxiety about a wide range of everyday situations and events. The worry and anxiety associated with GAD are often disproportionate to the actual circumstances and can be difficult to control. Individuals with GAD may constantly anticipate disaster and have a heightened sense of uncertainty.

Symptoms of GAD include:

• Feeling anxious, restless, or on edge most of the time without a specific reason.

• Difficulty controlling the constant worrying.

• Experiencing physical symptoms such as muscle tension, fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, and restlessness.

• Worrying excessively about everyday things, such as work, health, family, or financial issues, even when there is no clear reason for concern.

• Engaging in repetitive or obsessive thoughts and going over potential worst-case scenarios.

• Having difficulty making decisions due to excessive worry and fear of making the wrong choice.

Health anxiety is characterized by excessive worrying and preoccupation with having a serious medical condition. Individuals with health anxiety often misinterpret normal bodily sensations as signs of a severe illness and constantly seek reassurance from medical professionals or engage in excessive health-related behaviors, such as repeatedly checking their body for signs of illness or researching medical conditions online. These measures may provide temporary relief but do not alleviate the underlying anxiety.

Clients suffering from impulse control disorders experience a strong uncontrollable urge in their body and relieve it by engaging in repetitive body behaviors. One out of 20 people report engaging in repetitive body-focused behaviors including scab picking, nail biting, and knuckle cracking. However, clients with Repetitive Body Focused Disorders (RBFD) report weak control over these urges and behaviors, excessive distress, and significant life interference.

Trichotillomania, or hair pulling, is a very common RBFD. Clients with trichotillomania will pull hair from any site on their body, but the most common sites include eyelashes, eyebrows, scalp hair, underarm and pubic regions, and arm and leg. Individuals with trichotillomania have noticeable gaps or patches in hair growth. Pulling behavior can be focused (with awareness) or automatic (without awareness). The behavior can be experienced as soothing in the moment but can lead to feelings of shame and anxiety. For some people, the pulling ritual includes examination of hair and root, as well as root chewing. Pulling behavior may be triggered by a variety of emotions (e.g., stress, anxiety, anger, boredom), situations (e.g., work, T.V., driving, falling asleep), or contexts (e.g., seclusion, mirrors, grooming).

Skin Picking is an impulse control disorder in which people excessively pick or scratch at their blemishes, scabs/sores, etc. Individuals with skin picking often pick to accelerate the healing of a blemish, achieve symmetry, or soothe an uncomfortable urge. Most individuals will describe feeling out of control or “once I start, I can’t stop.” The damage to skin is often noticeable and leads to embarrassment and shame. As a result, individuals with skin picking will typically attempt to conceal the skin picking sites.

Individuals with MDD experience either loss of interest in pleasurable activities and/or persistent sadness Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), often referred to as clinical depression, is a common mental health condition characterized by persistent feelings (at least two weeks) of sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, and a range of emotional and physical symptoms.