Living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can feel isolating and overwhelming, but you’re not alone. More than 2% of adults live with OCD.¹ However, relief is possible with proper treatment, and many of our clinicians at New Directions Mental Health have experience delivering exposure and response prevention (ERP), the leading therapeutic approach for OCD. Our psychiatric providers can also prescribe antianxiety medication when appropriate, addressing OCD in multiple ways.
We offer a personalized approach centered on identifying triggers, building healthy coping strategies, and learning to manage anxiety. Call 724.374.7414 or fill out a quick form to get started with OCD treatment in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas.
Signs & Symptoms of OCD
OCD centers on intense, overwhelming anxiety triggered by specific “obsessions.” People with OCD often find brief relief from that anxiety through performing a “compulsion.” A frequently depicted example in media is contamination-related OCD, where someone fixates on germs and washes their hands excessively as a result. Someone with relationship OCD might fixate on the fear that their partner will leave, seeking constant reassurance to the contrary.
Some people’s compulsions are hidden or purely mental, sometimes referred to as “Pure O” or “purely obsessional” OCD. However, that term is a bit misleading since mental compulsions are still taking place. For example, someone might fear harming their child and respond by mentally reciting prayers for hours daily, or fear being unfaithful and mentally replaying their actions repeatedly to check.
OCD can interfere with everyday tasks like making dinner or running errands, and it can make social situations feel impossible due to compulsions that are hard to control.
Symptoms of OCD can include:
- Disturbing intrusive thoughts or images
- Nightmares
- Panic attacks
- Avoiding triggers
- Guilt or stress connected to compulsive behaviors
- Repeatedly checking things
- Constantly seeking reassurance or approval
Diagnosis generally requires persistent, recurring intrusive thoughts or behaviors that someone feels compelled to act on for at least an hour daily.
Common Fixations for Those With OCD
OCD is often organized by the type of obsession someone fixates on, though this could change over time. Here are a few common OCD obsessions:
- Perfectionism: Concern with precision, exactness, evenness, or losing and forgetting things
- Contamination: Fear tied to bodily fluids, germs, dirt, or chemicals
- Relationship: Obsessing over a partner’s fidelity, fear of being unfaithful, or intense worry about separation
- Harm: Worry about intentionally or carelessly hurting others
- Superstitions: Fixation on lucky or unlucky numbers, objects, or dates
- Religiosity: Fear of offending God or intense preoccupation with ethics and morality
- Death or harm to a loved one: Fear that someone close will be injured or die
- Unwanted sexual thoughts: Intrusive, forbidden, or aggressive sexual thoughts causing distress
No matter the fixation, OCD often comes with a lot of shame. These thought loops aren’t your fault, and our therapists are here to help you destigmatize how you feel.
Navigating OCD? New Directions Mental Health Can Help
An OCD spiral can make it feel like there’s no way out, but our providers can offer evidence-based treatments to help you start feeling better.
What Can Cause OCD?
OCD doesn’t have one single cause. Typically hereditary, biological, and environmental factors all play a role.
OCD typically results from a combination of:²
- Genetic causes: While no specific gene has been identified, having a parent or sibling with OCD significantly increases the likelihood of developing it.
- Brain chemistry: People with OCD often show differences in serotonin levels, similar to patterns seen in those with anxiety and depression.
- Environmental causes: Having a genetic predisposition doesn’t necessarily mean someone will go on to develop OCD. It’s often “triggered” by a stressful or traumatic life event.
Treatment for OCD
OCD treatment usually combines therapy and medication, addressing brain chemistry while building new ways to cope with the underlying anxiety. TMS can further reduce symptoms for some people, especially when they don’t find relief from medication.
Therapy for OCD
ERP is widely considered the most effective therapy for OCD, exposing someone to their triggers without allowing them to complete the compulsion. This retrains the brain to move away from relying on compulsions and helps people with OCD see that their obsessions aren’t rooted in reality.
Our therapists may combine ERP with other approaches, such as CBT for emotional regulation and coping skills, trauma-focused therapy, or other mindfulness approaches, depending on each person’s history, needs, and goals.
OCD Medication
Our psychiatric providers develop a personalized medication plan based on your unique needs and body chemistry. Since OCD can be related to serotonin levels, an SSRI or SNRI may be prescribed to support serotonin regulation and ease anxiety. Some people find relief through other anxiety or mood-stabilizing medications. Finding the right medication can take some time, which is why our prescribers stick with you for the long term and want to hear about your symptoms and concerns as they arise.
TMS for OCD
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an FDA-approved treatment for OCD. It uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific brain regions, encouraging activity in underperforming areas. TMS is often used when medication and therapy haven’t provided enough relief on their own, and it’s associated with very few side effects.
What’s the Outlook for Someone With OCD?
OCD can be debilitating, but it typically responds well to proper treatment. In fact, 60-85% of people who complete an ERP regimen see a significant reduction in symptoms.³ Early treatment can also make compulsions easier to address, so it’s important to talk to a professional right away if you suspect you may have OCD.⁴
Benefits of OCD Treatment at New Directions Mental Health
With the right treatment plan, people with OCD can learn to recognize their triggers, gain insight into underlying anxieties, and loosen their reliance on compulsions. That’s what our team at New Directions Mental Health is here to help with.
Here are a few benefits of working with us:
- We accept most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, which can help keep out-of-pocket costs manageable.
- Our clinic locations across the greater Pittsburgh area offer convenience, and we offer telehealth across the state when the client and provider decide it’s appropriate.
- We offer support in understanding your obsessions, compulsions, and any underlying anxiety or trauma contributing to symptoms.
- A collaborative care team ensures your treatment plan stays comprehensive.
Find OCD Treatment at New Directions Mental Health
New Directions Mental Health is committed to helping our neighbors across southwestern Pennsylvania access life-changing mental health care. We offer therapy, medication, and other advanced treatment options for children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families, and accept most major insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid.
Here’s what to expect when seeking OCD treatment with New Directions Mental Health:
- Start with a quick intake call or fill out a form to be contacted
- Review your insurance coverage and any potential copays with our intake team before beginning care
- Schedule your first appointment for therapy, psychiatry, or both, in person or via telehealth if appropriate
- Receive ongoing support through medication, lifestyle strategies, and advanced treatments like TMS if your care team recommends it
If you think you may be experiencing OCD or another mental health concern, call 724.374.7414 or fill out this brief form to get started with personalized care.
Frequently Asked Questions About OCD
No, self-treating your OCD isn’t recommended. ERP is proven effective, but should be guided by a trained therapist, particularly at first. Once you’ve built these skills and talked with your therapist about practicing outside of sessions, using these techniques on your own can help you manage obsessions and compulsions going forward.
Resisting intrusive thoughts often gives them more power. Try sitting with the thought, naming it, or even exaggerating it. Grounding objects or mantras can help redirect attention away from compulsions. Over time, therapy can reduce how often things feel out of your control.
An OCD episode involves a surge of intense anxious thoughts and emotions hitting all at once. Intensity can vary from person to person, but often involves physical symptoms like a racing heart, sweating, and shaking.
OCD tends to emerge during two life stages, either early onset between ages seven and 12, or later onset in early adulthood, around age 20. On average, children and teens experience symptoms for more than two years before being evaluated, so it’s worth seeking care quickly if you suspect your child may have OCD or anxiety.⁵
Left untreated, OCD symptoms tend to build gradually and worsen over time. It’s common for someone to withdraw socially, isolate from friends and family, struggle at work or school, and fall behind on responsibilities. Some may also turn to substance use as a coping mechanism to dull their anxiety.
OCD Insights
To learn more about OCD and treatment options, check out these blogs today.
Sources:
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). (2026). National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd
- What Causes OCD? (2026). International OCD Foundation. https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/what-causes-ocd/
- Junjuan Yan, Linyu Cui, Mengyu Wang, Yonghua Cui, Ying Li. (2022). The Efficacy and Neural Correlates of ERP-based Therapy for OCD & TS: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J. Integr. Neurosci. 21(3), 97. https://doi.org/10.31083/j.jin2103097
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. (2025). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9490-ocd-obsessive-compulsive-disorder
- Who Gets OCD? (2026). International OCD Foundation. https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/who-gets-ocd/