OCD Treatment in Westminster, CO

Physician-Led OCD Care Serving Westminster and North Denver

OCD can consume significant time and attention, making it harder to focus on work, relationships, sleep, and everyday responsibilities. At our Westminster clinic at 12110 North Pecos St, Suite 160, Westminster, CO 80234, we review your symptoms, mental health history, medications, previous treatment, safety factors, and goals before determining whether IV ketamine therapy may be appropriate for your care.

How OCD Can Affect Thoughts, Behaviors, and Daily Life

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a long-lasting mental health condition involving obsessions, compulsions, or both. Obsessions are recurring, unwanted thoughts, urges, or mental images. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to perform, often in response to an obsession.

OCD may involve patterns such as:

• Intrusive or unwanted thoughts, images, or urges

• Repeated checking or reassurance-seeking

• Cleaning or washing rituals

• Counting, repeating, or arranging behaviors

• Mental rituals or repetitive internal checking

• Avoidance of people, places, objects, or situations that trigger obsessions

• Compulsions that may provide temporary relief from anxiety

OCD is different from simply preferring organization, following routines, or occasionally double-checking something. Obsessions and compulsions can become time-consuming, difficult to interrupt, and disruptive to relationships, work, school, concentration, sleep, and everyday activities.

Established OCD treatment commonly includes psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of approaches. Exposure and response prevention (ERP), a specific form of cognitive behavioral therapy, is an evidence-based treatment for OCD.

When symptoms continue to interfere with daily life despite previous care, some patients may consider additional treatment options.

IV Ketamine Therapy for OCD

At Vitalitas, we provide physician-led IV ketamine therapy for selected patients with OCD.

Ketamine is FDA-approved as a general anesthetic. Its use for OCD and other psychiatric conditions is off-label, meaning ketamine has not been FDA-approved specifically to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder. The FDA provides additional context on the current use of ketamine in emerging areas of therapeutic interest.

Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist that affects glutamate signaling in the brain. Researchers have studied whether ketamine's effects on this signaling system may have therapeutic relevance for OCD.

The evidence is still developing. A 2026 systematic review of ketamine for OCD identified five eligible studies, including three randomized controlled trials and two open-label trials. The studies used intravenous, intramuscular, and oral ketamine with different dosing schedules. OCD symptom severity decreased across the included studies, but the duration of effects varied, and the findings do not establish one specific IV ketamine protocol. The authors concluded that further research is needed to optimize dosing, administration, and sustained symptom reduction.

We approach ketamine accordingly. IV ketamine is not a cure for OCD, and it does not replace established OCD treatment when ERP, psychotherapy, psychiatric care, or medication management remains appropriate. Instead, ketamine may be considered as an additional off-label option for selected patients after careful evaluation.

Learn more about our broader approach to ketamine therapy for OCD.

Careful Screening and Physician-Led Ketamine Treatment

OCD varies considerably from one person to another. The presence of an OCD diagnosis alone does not determine whether ketamine therapy is an appropriate treatment option.

Before recommending IV ketamine therapy, we consider your:

• OCD symptoms and how they affect daily functioning

• Mental health and medical history

• Current medications

• Previous psychotherapy and medication treatment

• Clinical stability and safety factors

• Treatment goals and expectations

• Ability to receive outpatient ketamine treatment safely

If IV ketamine treatment moves forward, our care model includes:

• Individualized planning based on your symptoms, history, previous care, and clinical needs

• Physician oversight throughout treatment

• Clinical monitoring of heart rate, heart rhythm, blood pressure, oxygen level, and how you are feeling during the infusion

• Follow-up to review your response and guide future treatment decisions

• Care coordination with the clinician managing your mental health treatment when appropriate

Not everyone with OCD will be a candidate for ketamine therapy. We believe careful screening, realistic expectations, and consideration of your broader OCD treatment plan are essential parts of responsible care.