Navigating the Complexities of Health Anxiety and OCD
Breaking the Rules: A Clinician's Guide to Treating OCDShow Notes
In this insightful episode, we explore the tangled web of health anxiety, OCD, and death anxiety, unpacking how these psychological disorders often overlap and feed into each other. From obsessive thought patterns and compulsions to the deep-rooted fear of mortality, our speakers dive deep into the inner workings of anxiety disorders and what makes treatment so complex—and so crucial.
💬 We discuss: The blurred lines between health anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder How death anxiety often lies beneath our fear of illness Why reassurance-seeking can trap us in cycles of fear Coping strategies and evidence-based treatment approaches How therapists can help clients rediscover meaning beyond their mental health challenges
Whether you’re a clinician, someone living with anxiety, or simply curious about the human mind—this conversation will challenge your understanding and offer a fresh perspective on mental wellness.
🔖 Chapters 00:00 Understanding Health Anxiety and OCD 06:01 The Intersection of Health Anxiety and Death Anxiety 12:03 The Complexity of Health Anxiety and OCD 18:43 Treatment Approaches for Health Anxiety and OCD 24:22 Living Beyond Anxiety: Finding Meaning in Life
#HealthAnxiety #OCD #MentalHealthMatters #TherapyTalk #AnxietyTreatment #DeathAnxiety #CopingWithAnxiety #IntrusiveThoughts #MentalWellness #PsychologicalDisorders #AnxietyAwareness #MeaningBeyondAnxiety Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Breaking the Rules: A Clinician's Guide to Treating OCD
This one's for the parents. In this episode of Breaking the Rules, Dr Celin Gelgec and Dr Tori Miller tackle one of the most common questions they hear from families - I think my child might have OCD. Where do I even start?
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ERP is the gold standard for OCD. But what happens when it's not enough on its own? In this episode of Breaking the Rules, Dr Celin Gelgec and Dr Tori Miller explore one of the most important — and least talked about — questions in OCD treatment: when and how to bring in other therapeutic modalities, and how to do it without abandoning the principles that make ERP work. Tori shares what traditional manualized ERP actually looked like in the early days of her career — rate your SUDS, watch the clock, wait for the anxiety to come down — and how the field has shifted since the inhibitory learning model changed the way we think about exposure. Celin reflects on her experience of always working in an integrated way, and why the principles of ACT have always felt like ERP to her — because they are. They also get honest about the moments when ERP becomes a battle. When the exposure menu turns into a war. When a client has every reason in the world not to engage — and what to do instead. Whether you're a clinician looking to expand your toolkit or someone living with OCD who's wondered why their therapist keeps talking about values and mindfulness - this episode will change how you think about what treatment can look like.
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