OCD North on Global News Edmonton

Host
(0:00) Good morning. From repeatedly checking to see if doors are locked, to excessively washing (0:08) your hands, to constant distressing thoughts, obsessive compulsive disorder can be a number (0:14) of different things, which is why one of the most misunderstood and diagnosed mental health (0:20) conditions in Canada. Joining us today to talk more about it is Nicole Bernhardt, a therapist (0:26) and clinic lead at OCD North here in Edmonton. Thank you for joining us today.

Nicole
Thank you for (0:32) having me.

Host
This is a very interesting topic. So this is OCD Awareness Week and why is it (0:37) so important and what are some of the changes you’d like to see?

Nicole
Yeah, absolutely. It is (0:42) important because OCD is one of the most misunderstood mental health conditions out there. We often, (0:49) in our clinic, a lot of people feel very isolated and I think having that opportunity to access (0:59) specialized treatment is very important.

Host
Yeah, absolutely. So I mean, you kind of just walked (1:04) into it. You know, support obviously isn’t easy to find, but I’m guessing it can make a huge (1:09) difference for someone who is suffering from OCD.
So how does that help?

Nicole
It can help in many ways. (1:15) At our clinic especially, we specialize in ERP treatment, which is exposure and response (1:20) prevention therapy, where we gradually expose people to their fears in a very controlled and (1:27) supportive environment. And our clinic has helped over 2,000 Canadians across seven different (1:32) provinces in specialized OCD treatment.

Host
Oh wow, that’s fascinating. So there’s very few places (1:39) that we can say specialize specifically in OCD services and you know, Edmonton being one of the (1:45) locations. Why would you say it’s so important to make sure we have it here?

Nicole
Yeah, for sure. We’ve (1:50) seen an increase in a need for OCD support in specialized care and the numbers keep rising and (1:59) the demand is there. So we felt like it was important to branch out and specialize here in (2:09)

Host
It’s not something everyone would be able to handle. So what is your suggestion for friends, families, workplaces (2:14) that can help assist someone or support them with OCD?

Nicole
Yeah, for sure. I think normalizing (2:21) the conversation about mental health in general is very important and the stigma around OCD is (2:27) a big thing. It can be a barrier for a lot of people. So I think just having those open (2:33) conversations leading the way with empathy and compassion is a very good start and looking (2:40) towards different services in the city can really help a person.

Host
It’s interesting because you know, (2:44) you do hear people almost joke about it. Oh, you’re so OCD and it’s like, okay, well, that (2:49) might not actually be worth a joke, right? When we’re dealing with a potential mental illness. So (2:55) let’s talk about anybody watching right now. Maybe they’re thinking, hey, that’s me. (2:59) What is the first step that they should be taking into getting some help? (3:03)

Nicole
I think it’s important to recognize the signs. Typically people with OCD, they experience a lot (3:08) of overwhelming doubt. They may seek reassurance from those around them and avoid certain social (3:14) situations. And I think yeah, taking that first step is very important.

Host
And so when if someone (3:22) has any, you know, idea that potentially it could be them, how do they go ahead and get (3:27) ahead of a hold of OCD North?

Nicole
Yeah, absolutely. So you can contact us at our website at OCDnorth.com. (3:35) We are available in person and across Alberta online. We offer free 15 minute consultations. (3:42) If you ever want to ask questions or kind of figure out more and, and yeah.

Host
I guess that (3:47) would be where to begin, right? Because then you can kind of understand which direction you’re (3:51) going to head in from there.

Nicole
Yeah, absolutely.

Host
Amazing. I appreciate your time this morning. (3:55) Thank you so much. The OCD Awareness Week is October 12th to 18th. For more information or (4:01) all of the resources we’ve just talked about, you can grab them at OCD North.com.