Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

In Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Dr. R. Reid Wilson demonstrates and discusses his cognitive-behavioral approach to treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is a common anxiety disorder that involves obsessive thinking accompanied by compulsive behavior. Dr. Wilson's approach is to focus closely on a client's thought processes so as to make the client realize the irrational-and ultimately irrelevant-content of the obsessions.

In this session, Dr. Wilson interviews a female client with long-standing OCD cleaning and ordering rituals. He illustrates how to gain rapport, confront fearful belief systems, encourage motivation, and challenge the need for confidence. He clarifies the benefits of viewing OCD as a mental "game" in which she can "win" by changing her responses to the symptoms of the disorder. He explains the four primary homework assignments in his treatment of OCD: Treat the content as irrelevant, accept the obsessions when they arise, seek out uncertainty, and seek out distress.