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OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER
Dr. Bruno has experience in diagnosing children with OCD and providing them with individualized cognitive behavior therapy. This includes exposure and response prevention (ERP), which is the gold-standard treatment for children struggling with OCD.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the leading causes of mental health difficulties in children and adolescents. Children with this disorder experience unwanted obsessions which can be in the form of thoughts, images and/or impulses, that cause anxiety. In an attempt to reduce anxiety, children with OCD perform ritualized or repeated behaviors called “compulsions”. It may sometimes seem that children with OCD like doing things in a repetitive or set manner, but they are actually seeking to avoid anxiety. OCD can disrupt all aspects of a child’s life including daily functioning at home, at school and with peers. It can make kids start avoiding the things that might otherwise make them happy and, if they don’t get treatment, their anxiety can grow with time.
Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is the gold standard treatment for OCD. It allows children to address their obsessions in a graduated and systematic way with the help of a therapist. By facing the symptoms head-on, children learn to tolerate their anxiety and, over time, they will discover that their anxiety has actually decreased.
After an initial intake evaluation is completed, a treatment plan will be created to determine the frequency and intensity of sessions. This is based on each child’s unique symptoms and needs.