Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Treatment Options

April 16th, 2012

Those that are diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder are normally started on treatment right away or advised to seek help immediately. While it might not be that the doctor or therapist feels they might hurt someone, it is mainly because the sooner that someone with OCD starts treatment, the better. Early treatment can help alleviate the symptoms, the stress, and the disruption that OCD can cause in someone’s life. One of the main problems with OCD though is that researcher have found that people with OCD normally see at least 3 different doctors and spend over 8 years seeking treatment before they are ever diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder. But, there is hope and there are many different treatments available to you if you are diagnosed with OCD. Here are some of the main treatments that might be recommended to you:

1. Therapy: Most people that are diagnosed with OCD are referred to a qualified therapist if they are not already seeing one. There are several different types of therapeutic treatments that can be tried for people suffering with OCD, and one of the main ones is called exposure and response prevention. This is where the person is repeatedly exposed to their “obsession” and deny themselves the act that you do in response to it, such as washing your hands over and over. Exposure and response prevention is something that you can do on your own at home and often provides the best treatment for OCD when done correctly and in conjunction with other treatments.

2. Medications: This is one of the main ways that doctors and psychiatric professionals will try to help you combat OCD. There are several different medications out that have been proven to help combat the symptoms and causes of OCD, and they include medications that are taken for both depression as well as anxiety and panic disorders. Since these medications take a bit longer to show benefits in treatment for OCD, your doctor will recommend that you take them for a period of time and then come back in for a check up to determine if they are working or not. Talk with your doctor about any medication options that might be available to you if you do suffer from OCD and about any potential side effects that they may carry with them.

3. Natural and Herbal Supplements: Some natural doctors or therapists will recommend different natural and herbal remedies, such as St. John’s Wort. These different herbal supplements have been used for centuries by people all over the world as a way to combat anxiety and OCD (before they even knew what obsessive compulsive disorder was). Different vitamins and other herbs have also been found to help out patients with OCD and your doctor or therapist may recommend some. Just make sure that you talk with your doctor before taking any over-the-counter herbal supplements to be sure that they don’t interfere with any of the prescription medications you may be taking.

There are some other treatment options for OCD, which might be used for more drastic cases. If your doctor recommends other treatment options for you, make sure that you discuss all of the side effects with them before agreeing to start a new treatment. There are so many different options out there that are available for those suffering with OCD to take, that you don’t have to settle for just the first option.

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