Bala Cynwyd, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/19/2014 -- There are countless instances where individuals express fear or concern. Topics of worry can range from petty to extreme, and the worry can turn to obsession. "You are so OCD" has turned into a catchphrase for individuals who worry, even if there is no disorder present. Mindful Stress & Anxiety Management Center has provided a short list of obsessions that represent some forms of OCD as a disorder.

As a specialist in the treatment of the full range of anxiety disorders, spectrum disorders and depression Harold Kirby says OCD, in combination with a creative imagination, can produce essentially endless obsessive content. Obsessions are uninvited thoughts, images and urges, which make the person experiencing them uncomfortable, anxious, and distressed. The person finds the thoughts, images and urges intrusive and doesn't want them. They try to ignore or push these thoughts and images out, or try to neutralize them with some other thought or action (compulsion).

Below is a list of some of the more common forms of obsessions. Contamination is one of the most easily recognized obsessions.

-Contamination OCD is one of the more common forms of OCD and includes fear of their own or others bodily fluids or waste, suffer significant distress with normal household cleaners or other substance containing chemicals. A sufferer can feel contaminated by a certain thought, action or event. Please remember the lists are not by any means exhaustive; the content is limited by human imagination

-Less recognizable but also very prevalent include obsessions of Harm to Self/Other.

The sufferer has an unreasonable fear of inflicting harm on themselves or others, or causing harm through neglect.

The hallmark when identifying the possibility of OCD is that the sufferer will exhibit significant distress accompanied by a strong desire to be certain beyond reason that there is no "danger of their fear occurring."

-Obsessions of Aggression, the sufferer posses a fear that they will spontaneously harm other people or that they will somehow lose control or they are afraid that they will go crazy.

-Religious Obsessions, Sexual Obsessions, Magical Obsessions, Sexual Orientation Obsessions, Health and Body Obsessions

When treatment is needed, The Center is available to help clients understand the nature of their obsessive compulsive disorder in Philadelphia, providing them with the treatment and the means to get better and move forward with their lives. If wishing to understand what a sufferer feels when experiencing OCD, Kirby encourages to use imagination. The example he provided won't make others feel good even though it will help them empathize. "Imagine wanting your relatives to die in a car crash and write that wish down," Kirby says. "How does this make you feel? Does this make you nervous? Most people, even without OCD, won't write that down. We don't write it down because we don't even want to imagine the risk of that event occurring, much less influencing it somehow. Our desire to not do anything that would make such an event more likely goes beyond realistic or rational thinking. This demand for no risk is at the core of most forms of OCD."

When needing treatment or therapy for any anxiety issue or obsessive-compulsive disorder, the Mindful Stress & Anxiety Management Center provides appropriate and effective CBT treatment for individuals. The Center is also announcing group sessions for anxiety disorders and mindfulness meditation training. The next cycle of mindful group training at the center will begin in January, and they are held at locations in Bala Cynwyd, Ardmore, King of Prussia, and Philadelphia. Make a New Year's resolution to live a valued life. Challenge the anxiety and also receive the gift of a mindful practice.

Spread the holiday cheer, and give a person suffering with OCD a hug this holiday season. Contact the center for more information or encouragement to help get past the suffering that is being experienced and receive help with OCD.

About the Mindful Stress & Anxiety Management Center
MSAM was developed in 2012 by Harold Kirby, an expert in the treatment of OCD, anxiety and depression. The center was designed to provide individual and group treatment as well as training in mindfulness meditation in both individual and group sessions. The MSAM courses combine cognitive behavioral therapy to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and sessions are molded to meet the needs of each individual. Through scientifically supported methods, Kirby effectively helps others get over their fears and improve their quality of life.

For more information, please visit http://www.anxietyocdbala.com/