Treatments for OCD

Treatments for OCD

According to the International OCD Foundation, there are two common forms of treatment for OCD; exposure response prevention (ERP) and anti-depressant medications (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). 

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

The primary form of therapeutic treatment is cognitive and behavioral therapy (CBT), specifically exposure and response prevention (ERP). 

During the ERP therapy process, patients will be asked to face their obsessions head on (exposure) while abstaining from compulsive behavior (response prevention). Facing obsessional fears help patients to habituate to the fearful obsession. 

Learning to abstain from compulsive behaviors provides further relief from OCD symptoms, although this is completely counter to what individuals suffering from OCD want to do. It is so much easier to give in and perform a compulsion but, this is at the expense of reinforcing OCD. Therefore, clients will learn the ways in which they perform compulsions and how to abstain from giving into compulsions.

OCD & Medication 

The second most common form of treatment for OCD are psychiatric medications. Medications for OCD, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been long established to be an effective way to help treat OCD. 

Best Medications for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Common OCD/SSRI medications:

  • Zoloft (Sertraline)
  • Prozac (Fluoxetine)
  • Lexapro (Escitalopram)
  • Celexa (Citalopram)
  • Luvox (Fluvoxamine)

SSRI’s are the only form of medication that has been FDA approved drug for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder in children. It must be noted though that SSRI do not work for everyone. And even in cases when it does improve the condition, getting off them may and in many cases will cause an OCD relapse. This is why exposure response prevention remains the gold standard OCD treatment.

If you or someone you love is still trying to identify if OCD is present in their life, we encourage them to take an OCD test.

    References:

    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/treatment/

    https://www.psychguides.com/guides/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-treatment-program-options/

    https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/understanding-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-treatment