OCD & Intrusive Thoughts
Often misunderstood, and very treatable.
If your mind generates disturbing thoughts you can't control, and you've spent years trying to suppress, neutralize, or outrun them — you're likely dealing with OCD, even if it doesn't look the way you'd expect.
Telehealth · NY · NJ · CA · CT · FL · IL · KS · OH · PA · TX · VA
OCD isn't what most people think it is
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is widely misunderstood. Many people picture hand-washing or symmetry. But OCD is, at its core, a cycle: an intrusive thought arrives, anxiety spikes, and a compulsion (mental or behavioral) offers temporary relief. The relief reinforces the cycle.
The intrusive thoughts in OCD can take almost any form: harm, contamination, religion, sexuality, relationships, existential doubt. They are ego-dystonic — meaning they feel foreign and horrifying to the person having them. Having an intrusive thought does not reflect your values, desires, or intentions. It reflects the presence of OCD.
Because OCD often presents without visible rituals, it can look like generalized anxiety or depression. A careful evaluation helps sort out what is driving your symptoms, so treatment fits.
- Intrusive thoughts about harm, violence, or accidents
- Sexual or relationship intrusive thoughts
- Religious or moral scrupulosity
- Contamination fears without visible washing rituals
- "Pure O" — obsessions without recognizable external compulsions
- Checking, reassurance-seeking, or mental reviewing
- Fear of going crazy or losing control
- Existential OCD — spiraling doubt about reality or identity
OCD responds to specific treatment
Some approaches engage closely with the content of intrusive thoughts — challenging them, examining whether they're realistic, or processing them through insight. For OCD, that kind of engagement can sometimes keep the cycle going.
OCD feeds on attention. Every time you analyze, debate, or try to neutralize a thought, you strengthen the cycle. The gold-standard behavioral treatment for OCD — Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) — works through a fundamentally different mechanism: learning to tolerate uncertainty without performing compulsions.
You don't need an extensive treatment history to seek care. If you have tried treatment before, we'll look carefully at what you tried and how it went, and use that history to inform next steps.
ERP + Medication
Exposure and Response Prevention is the most evidence-based behavioral treatment for OCD. When indicated, medication — typically an SRI — significantly improves outcomes when combined with ERP.
Dr. Batista has behavioral therapy training through the International OCD Foundation and coordinates care with ERP-trained therapists when a therapy referral is part of the plan.
IOCDF-trained · NOCD Advisory Board · ADAA & IOCDF conference presenter
A coherent plan — not a checklist
OCD treatment at this practice is built around a comprehensive evaluation, a clear diagnosis, and a treatment plan that integrates medication and behavioral approaches in a way that makes sense for you.
Comprehensive Evaluation
A 90-minute new-patient consultation to understand the full picture: onset, course, symptom subtypes, prior treatment, co-occurring conditions, and what has and hasn't worked.
Clear Diagnosis & Psychoeducation
You'll leave with a clear understanding of what is driving your symptoms, how the OCD cycle works, and what the treatment evidence actually says — explained in plain language.
Integrated Treatment Plan
Medication management when indicated, coordination with ERP-trained therapists when a behavioral referral makes sense, and ongoing psychiatric care from the same clinician throughout.
Talk to a psychiatrist who specializes in OCD.
Book a Fit Call — $100 · 20 minutesYou don't need a diagnosis to reach out
If any of the following sounds familiar, a consultation is a reasonable next step:
- You have thoughts that feel impossible to control and deeply disturbing
- You've been told it's anxiety, but something about that explanation never quite fit
- You've tried therapy and it didn't help — or may have made things worse
- You avoid situations, people, or content because of what your mind might produce
- You spend significant time reviewing, checking, or seeking reassurance
- You've wondered whether you're dangerous, immoral, or going insane
Explore reading, support groups, and the ADAA webinar on intrusive thoughts.
Ready to get started?
OCD has effective, well-studied treatments. We'll start with a careful evaluation and a clear conversation about your options, by telehealth in any of 11 states.
Optional · 20 minutes · $100, credited toward an evaluation booked within 30 days
90 minutes · $1,200 or two hours with report · $2,400