OCD is a mental health condition involving recurring intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental rituals (compulsions) that are performed to reduce anxiety or prevent something bad from happening.

Symptoms may include intrusive thoughts, excessive checking, contamination fears, compulsive cleaning, reassurance seeking, counting, mental reviewing, perfectionism, fear of harming others, relationship doubts, or religious or moral obsessions.

Yes. Many women experience primarily intrusive thoughts with few visible compulsions. This is often called "Pure O," although most people still engage in mental compulsions such as rumination or reassurance seeking.

Yes. Pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause can contribute to new or worsening OCD symptoms in some women due to hormonal fluctuations.

While OCD and anxiety often occur together, OCD involves specific obsessions and compulsions. The compulsions temporarily reduce anxiety but ultimately reinforce the OCD cycle.

Yes. Although they seem very different, ADHD and OCD commonly occur together and can make diagnosis and treatment more complex.

Treatment often includes medication, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and addressing coexisting conditions such as anxiety, depression, or ADHD.

I provide psychiatric evaluation and medication management. When appropriate, I work collaboratively with therapists, particularly those trained in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), which is considered the gold-standard psychotherapy for OCD.

Many women with OCD never organize closets or wash their hands excessively. Instead, they struggle with thoughts they don't want and can't seem to turn off.

You may have OCD if you experience:

• Intrusive thoughts that feel disturbing or out of character.
• Constant reassurance seeking from loved ones.
• Repeated checking (locks, appliances, mistakes, messages).
• Fear of contamination or illness.
• Mental reviewing or replaying conversations.
• Feeling responsible for preventing bad things from happening.
• Difficulty tolerating uncertainty.
• Feeling trapped in cycles of "what if..." thinking.

If these thoughts are causing significant distress or leading you to perform rituals to feel better, a comprehensive evaluation can help determine whether OCD may be contributing to your symptoms.

Yes. I provide secure telehealth psychiatric evaluations and medication management for women located in Texas, New Mexico, Washington, and Delaware.