OCD Psychiatrist Serving New Haven, CT

You've looked up your symptoms. You've read about OCD. But none of it quite fits — because you don't have rituals, not really. You're not washing your hands thirty times or checking the stove. What you have is thoughts. Thoughts that horrify you. Thoughts that arrive unbidden and feel completely at odds with who you are and what you value. And the more you try to push them away, the louder they get. This is called Pure-O — a form of OCD where the compulsions are invisible because they happen entirely in your mind. It's real. It's treatable. And you're not alone in New Haven in dealing with it.

What "Pure-O" Actually Means

The name is a little misleading — Pure-O isn't truly without compulsions. It's that the compulsions are mental rather than behavioral. You might ruminate — replaying a thought over and over, analyzing it, trying to figure out why you had it or what it means about you. You might mentally review past actions, seeking certainty that you didn't do something wrong. You might try to "cancel" a bad thought with a reassuring one. These are compulsions. They follow the same cycle as any other OCD: thought, anxiety, compulsion, brief relief, repeat. The cycle just happens somewhere no one else can see it.

The Shame That Comes with Intrusive Thoughts

Here's what makes Pure-O especially hard: the content of the thoughts is often deeply shameful. They might be violent. Sexual. Blasphemous. Thoughts about harming someone you love. The OCD mind tends to latch onto whatever feels most forbidden — and because you're a person with a conscience, these thoughts feel unbearable. But the distress you feel about the thought is actually evidence that it goes against everything you are. People who want to do terrible things don't lie awake at night terrified by the fact that they thought them. The thought and the desire are not the same thing.

How Sindhia Approaches Pure-O Care

Your first visit with Sindhia Shyras, APRN is a full psychiatric evaluation — not a quick intake but an actual conversation about what's been happening, how long it's been going on, and how it's affecting your daily life in New Haven. For Pure-O specifically, this often means talking through the content of the obsessions in a non-judgmental space — which can feel terrifying at first, but is part of getting an accurate picture. Treatment typically involves medication (SSRIs, often at doses higher than those used for depression) and a referral to a therapist trained in ERP. Sindhia accepts Aetna, Cigna, Husky Health, Medicaid, United Healthcare, Anthem, ConnectiCare, and self-pay.

Frequently Asked Questions