Concurrent Disorders Treatment Services
OCD and Addiction Treatment
How We Help
York Addiction & Mental Health is one of Canada's most innovative addiction recovery homes, offering individualized, holistic treatment plans built by a team of healthcare professionals and addiction specialists with real expertise in concurrent disorder care.
OCD is one of the conditions we regularly see alongside addiction, since the exhausting cycle of obsessions and compulsions often pushes people toward substances just to find some relief.
How OCD and Addiction Are Connected
OCD is a type of anxiety disorder marked by recurring, unwanted thoughts called obsessions, which drive a person toward repetitive behaviours called compulsions meant to relieve the distress those thoughts cause. Living with OCD can be exhausting, and many people turn to alcohol or drugs to quiet the obsessions or cope with the compulsive cycle, which offers short-term relief but raises the risk of a co-occurring addiction considerably. In Canada, roughly 1 in every 100 people aged 15 and older is diagnosed with OCD, and the condition is strongly associated with alcohol dependence and substance use, particularly among people who experienced childhood trauma, which shows up in over 72% of OCD diagnoses. A study in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders found that about 25% of people seeking OCD treatment also had a concurrent substance use disorder.
Common Obsessions and Compulsions in OCD
OCD obsessions and compulsions can take many forms, but some of the most common include:
- Fear of contamination or germs, often paired with excessive or ritualized hand washing and cleaning
- An overpowering need for order, symmetry, or precision, leading to repeated arranging or organizing
- Fear of losing or forgetting something important, driving repeated checking of locks, switches, or appliances
- Disturbing or intrusive unwanted thoughts, sometimes managed through repeated counting or seeking constant reassurance
Treating OCD or addiction in isolation tends to fall short, since medication used for OCD symptoms alone can carry its own risk of dependence, while addiction treatment without addressing OCD often leads to dropped therapy sessions and relapse.
Why Treating OCD Alongside Addiction Matters
The American Psychiatric Association recommends Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, particularly a form called Exposure and Response Prevention, as the frontline treatment for OCD, often alongside carefully chosen medication. At York Addiction & Mental Health, we believe firmly in getting to the root cause of the addiction rather than treating detox as a standalone solution, especially for clients managing OCD alongside substance use. Every treatment plan is built around each client's specific circumstances using evidence-based, holistic methods, since a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works for a condition this individual.
Our Concurrent Treatment Programs for OCD and Addiction
Our co-occurring treatment plan for OCD and addiction includes:
Medical Detox
Our medically guided detox helps the body flush out trace amounts of alcohol and drugs while providing the support needed to manage withdrawal symptoms as comfortably as possible.
Drug Addiction Treatment
We offer residential treatment, in-house or hospitalization care, outpatient programs, and behavioural counselling for dependence on substances including cocaine, heroin, marijuana, DMT, opiates, ecstasy, prescription medications, GHB, and methamphetamine.
Alcohol Addiction Treatment
For clients with a dual diagnosis of OCD and an alcohol use disorder, we provide detoxification and psychosocial support, individual and group counselling for maintaining abstinence, help staging interventions, and family support through our Lifelong Family Program.
Mental Health Treatment
Our mental health treatment identifies the risk factors and triggers behind a client's OCD and addiction, using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, individual counselling, group counselling, and ongoing continued care.
Talk to Our Team and Find Recovery Today
Every client’s experience of OCD and Addiction Treatment looks a little different depending on their history. Call York Addiction & Mental Health at 1-888-241-3391 or reach out through our contact page, and our team can walk you through what this looks like for you specifically.