How to treat OCD?

The treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) usually involves a combination of psychotherapy and medications. The aim of both these methods remains the decreasing and curbing of obsessive/compulsive acts and/or thoughts by reducing their intensity and frequency. 

The medications that are usually prescribed for OCD patients include Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors such as Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, and Luvox. Other tricycle antidepressants may also be given such as Anafranil. These medications usually kick in and start showing effects by the third week, but may take longer in certain cases. Generally these medications need to be taken indefinitely to avoid the risk of any reoccurrence once the medication in stopped.

Meanwhile, various behavioral therapies can also be used. These aim to make permanent changes such that the obsessive/compulsive behavior is stopped once and for all. The list of behavioral therapies used for OCD includes thought stopping, thought switching, flooding, aversion therapy, implosion therapy, and exposure and response prevention. Scientific research is uncovering new ways and new therapies which can be effective in curing OCD on a regular basis. In fact all the current methods of treatment have also undergone considerable practice before they were implemented as cures for OCD.

In any case, the choice of whether to go with medications or with psychotherapy (or both) is one which will be made after you consult a medical professional. Your doctor will be in the best position to judge which route is ideal for your particular case. Moreover, if one route doesn’t offer satisfactory results, you can always revert to the other method. Hence, remember that it is vital you never give up hope and always believe that full treatment is possible as has been for so many others before you.

Furthermore, if you are cured and then have a reoccurrence of the disorder, make sure you’re not disheartened or think of your treatment as a failure. Reoccurrences can be treated quite effectively; actually the skill set you reeled in when you were dealing with initial episodes will come quite handy at handling any later setbacks.

It is important also that you turn to your friends and family through this whole process. By building such a strong team you will find it easier to get through the more strenuous stages. Alternatively, you could make sure of various support groups. These tend to help patients through their treatment as having people who understand what one is going through makes the whole ordeal seem more cordial and less taxing.
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