What is OCD?

OCD, or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, is a type of anxiety disorder which can vary from being very mild to being very severe. From feeling compelled to wash your hands, to keep fixating your thoughts on one particular thing, OCD can take a variety of forms. While OCD patients may know that logically there is no need for their behavior, they still feel a compulsion keep repeating their obsessive actions.

As the OCD condition worsens, a person’s anxiety and distress levels keep rising If treatment is not sought by victims, soon the problem begins to take up more and more time of their regular day until it seems as if the problem has completely taken over their life and there is no time to do anything other than washing, thinking, or continuing with any other obsessive behavior. OCD’s effects are far and wide as the person’s ability to work, their relationships with friends and family, and their overall living standards all take a nosedive.

A worrying fact is that OCD is quite common. For instance, in the United Kingdom about 1.2 percent of all adults are thought to suffer from OCD. Worse still, this figure is believed to be an understatement as most people with OCD tend to conceal their obsessive behavior from others as they feel embarrassed or guilty to talk about their problem with others.

The good news, though, is that OCD can be treated if the patient takes an active interest. Among the treatment options available, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been found to be most effective and it should be noted that CBT should be a patient’s first arsenal of treatment. CBT focuses in on the problem itself and is the most goal-oriented of all therapy options. Further, it is an interactive approach in the sense that after giving a full understanding of what the problem is, the patient is taught the necessary skills to comprehend and overcome his problem. The best part, though, is that CBT is not known to have any risks associated with it and usually doesn’t even require OCD patients to turn to medications.

If, nonetheless, medications are prescribed, they usually comprise of antidepressants, with the most common drug being Fluoxetine, better known as Prozac. Keep in mind, however, that these medications have been found to be temporary solutions in the sense that when they are stopped OCD tends to resurface quite quickly. Hence, it is highly advised to stick to CBT alone as that has proved to be a proper solution for OCD patients. As with most anxiety disorder treatments, victims need to display considerable patience as the average OCD treatment can take quite a few weeks. Always remember, though, that the treatment is worth it as there is no substitute for getting your life back.