OCD Treatments

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disease that plagues millions of people each year, though it is difficult for many to understand. People do not often understand that it is not merely a routine, but rather a disease that affects the way people live. It is treatable, though it takes a great deal of trial and error to get OCD under control. This disease is extremely complicated and continues to raise questions about how it is developed, why people get it, and how to treat it best.

OCD Explained

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a disease where repetitive thoughts become repetitive behaviors, despite the efforts of the person trying to stop them. Panic attacks are often associated with OCD, especially when a ritual cannot be performed for any reason. The obsessions are often thoughts and fears that are unfounded and make little sense, but they cannot be prevented and typically only subside when the action is done. This action is the compulsion, and can vary in type. This may be seen in the form of excessive cleaning, hording, counting and organizing, and checking something repeatedly. This process is almost like a short in the brain, where both parts become an absolutely necessary component for the person to function properly.

OCD Treatment

• There are a variety of ways to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder. The type of treatment that works best depends primarily upon the person, the severity of the disorder, and the type of OCD they exhibit. The treatment may also depend upon the caregiver, and whether or not they are medically or psychologically based.

  Psychotherapy and behavioral therapy take quite some time to get through, and the process can be draining and exhausting. It is a long process that basically consists of rewiring the brain so that the obsessions do not lead to compulsions, and a normal life can be lived. The two main types of behavioral therapy are ritual prevention and exposure therapy. Ritual prevention is designed to extend periods of time where the person with OCD can refrain from engaging in their obsessive-compulsive behaviors. The goal is to get them to stave off the behavior for longer periods of time, eventually changing the behavior forever. Exposure therapy follows similar methods, though it involves putting the patient in a situation that triggers the compulsive behavior and refraining from engaging in those behaviors for longer periods at a time. Eventually this will change the behavior permanently.

  There are medications that work for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. These are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and come with relatively few side effects. SSRIs increase serotonin in the brain, a natural chemical that is found to be low in people suffering from OCD. The SSRIs help to increase the activity of the cells that are inactive in someone suffering from OCD, and this can help by lessening the symptoms of the disease. SSRIs have been shown to be effective and they work quickly, though the longer a person is on them, the more likely they are to develop side effects. While SSRIs are quick and effective, some may argue that psychotherapy is more effective, as it changes the behavior rather than masking the symptoms.