Living With Just Right OCD
What Defines Just Right OCD?
Just Right OCD is a form of OCD that causes an uncomfortable physical and/or psychological feeling until something is done "just right." OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder, is a mental health disorder that can manifest in different subtypes. In this anxiety disorder, a sufferer will have intrusive or obsessive thoughts that cause discomfort and one will perform compulsions to mitigate the distress they feel.
Just Right OCD Symptoms and Compulsions
People with just right OCD have intrusive thoughts or feelings that something is off, which leads to a sensation of distress. This feeling of distress causes the sufferer to perform compulsive behaviors until something feels "just right." These compulsive behaviors vary between each individual, as the compulsions are based upon each person's triggers.
Triggers of this type of OCD can widely range for each individual. People with just right OCD might have smell triggers, perfectionism triggers, sight triggers, touch triggers, or even triggers based upon counting. For example, a person with a sight trigger may have an OCD symptom, in which they have to place an object in a symmetrical fashion on a table until it feels "just right."
Another example of this form of OCD can involve texting. A person may send a text message multiple times because they sense a feeling of incompletion. However, someone without this OCD subtype will send one text message and feels a sense of completion when the text message is delivered.
Just right OCD can also be combined with counting. Sufferers with counting and just right OCD will have a feeling of incompletion until they perform their compulsive behavior for an "x" number of times. For example, individuals may avoid performing a compulsive behavior six times as that's associated with evil or the devil.
Treatment of Just Right OCD
Exposure and response prevention therapy, known as ERP therapy, is an excellent tool used for just right OCD and other forms of OCD. In just right OCD, ERP is utilized by exposing people with just right OCD to their common triggers. This exposure will induce a state of distress, in which one might seek out compulsive behaviors. However, in ERP therapy, the goal is to have the individual stay with the feeling of distress until it is tolerable. This is conducted over and over again until the person with just right OCD does not have to engage in their compulsive behaviors. ERP and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are both great forms of treatment for OCD.
How KOR Results Can Help Manage Your OCD
If you have just right OCD and are seeking treatment, feel free to contact me for an initial consultation. At KOR Results, we provide a free 20-minute consultation to assess if we'd be a great fit to work together to manage your OCD.
KOR Results is a San Francisco, California based tele-health OCD practice, in which we specialize in all forms of OCD. We treat clients all over California, such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Silicon Valley, etc.