Steven Phillipson, Ph.D. on the Nature and Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. "Steven Philipson, Ph.D. on Treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder". In this edition of the Wise Counsel Podcast, Dr. Van Nuys interviews Steven Philipson, Ph.D. on the nature and treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD, an anxiety disorder characterized by obsessions (unwanted thoughts accompanied by anxiety) and compulsions (actions carried out in order to neutralize anxiety). Dr. Philipson stresses that there is no thought disorder in ODC and that it is thus not useful to help people to become more rational about their obsessions. Instead, he advocates behaviorally-based exposure therapy treatment which helps people to gradually expose themselves to increasing levels of anxiety so as to unlearn the anxious association in a non-verbal manner. Dr. Philipson has helped popularize the term Pure O which refers to ODC patients whose obsessions and rituals are not easily observable and the interview goes over this concept in some detail.