Reduce the Grip of Intrusive Thoughts

Virtual and in-person treatment for OCD, hoarding disorder, and repetitive thought patterns in Riverside and the Inland Empire

You might notice that thoughts about contamination, harm, or making mistakes won't leave your mind, even when you're trying to focus on something else. Many people in Riverside find themselves checking the stove repeatedly, washing their hands until they're raw, or mentally reviewing conversations to make sure they didn't say something wrong. These behaviors provide relief for a few moments, but the anxiety returns quickly, often stronger than before.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder involves intrusive thoughts that feel impossible to shut off and compulsive actions or mental rituals you use to manage the distress they cause. Mending Health Care works with individuals who spend hours each day stuck in reassurance-seeking cycles, avoiding triggers that make daily life smaller, or dealing with extreme difficulty discarding items due to hoarding disorder. Treatment focuses on breaking the anxiety loop by reducing compulsions, building distress tolerance, and using evidence-based approaches like exposure tools and cognitive strategies that restore confidence around uncertainty.

If obsessions or compulsions are taking up significant time or affecting your ability to work, sleep, or connect with others in Riverside, reach out to Mending Health Care to discuss evaluation and treatment options.

What Happens During Treatment for Repetitive Behaviors

Your evaluation with Mending Health Care includes a detailed review of what triggers your obsessions, how often compulsions occur, and how much time they consume each day. You'll talk through the specific fears driving the behaviors, whether they involve contamination, harm, morality, health, or relationship uncertainty. The plan may include therapy support that teaches you how to tolerate distress without performing the compulsion, which gradually weakens the anxiety response over time.

After starting treatment, you'll begin to notice that intrusive thoughts lose some of their intensity and urgency. You may still have the thoughts, but they no longer dictate your behavior or occupy hours of your day. Compulsions like checking, counting, or mental reviewing become less automatic, and you regain flexibility in how you respond to discomfort.

Medication can be helpful when obsessions and compulsions are severe or time-consuming, and it's often used alongside therapy to support long-term progress. Treatment is individualized based on how symptoms show up in your life, whether hoarding behaviors are present, and what other mental health conditions may be contributing. Mending Health Care offers virtual and in-person psychiatric evaluation, medication management, and ongoing follow-up care with a culturally inclusive approach that removes stigma from the process.

People often have specific concerns about what treatment will require, how long it takes to see results, and whether the behaviors will ever fully go away.

Questions That Come Up Before Starting Care

OCD involves intrusive thoughts that cause significant distress and compulsions performed to reduce that distress, not because you want to do them. The behavior provides temporary relief but strengthens the anxiety loop over time, which is why it becomes so difficult to stop without structured support.
What makes OCD different from being organized or careful?
You may start noticing small shifts within a few weeks, but meaningful reduction in compulsions typically takes several months of consistent work. Progress depends on how severe the symptoms are, how often you practice distress tolerance skills, and whether medication is part of your plan.
How long does it take for treatment to reduce compulsions?
You work with your provider to gradually face feared situations or thoughts without performing the compulsion, starting with less distressing triggers and building up slowly. The goal is to retrain your brain's threat response so that the anxiety decreases naturally rather than being suppressed by rituals.
What happens during exposure-based therapy?
Reassurance provides short-term relief but teaches your brain that the thought was dangerous and needed a response. Over time, this increases the frequency and intensity of obsessions because your brain becomes dependent on external validation to feel safe.
Why does reassurance-seeking make the anxiety worse?
Medication is often considered when obsessions and compulsions are consuming multiple hours each day, severely impairing your ability to work or maintain relationships, or when therapy alone hasn't provided enough relief. Dr. Chioma will review your symptom history and treatment goals to determine whether medication is a helpful addition to your care plan.
When should I consider medication for OCD symptoms?

If repetitive thoughts are making it hard to leave the house, finish tasks, or feel safe in your own mind, Mending Health Care offers virtual and in-person evaluation and medication management designed to reduce the time you spend trapped in compulsive cycles. Contact us to schedule an appointment and start building tools that restore flexibility and calm.