What Are the Treatments for OCD?

OCD stands for obsessive compulsive disorder, a debilitating emotional disorder which entails intrusive thoughts and the compulsive rituals adopted to counteract them. Treatments depend on the individual patient and may entail controlling the symptoms rather finding a permanent cure in some cases.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral theory attempts to discover and resolve the causes of the OCD while teaching the patient better ways of coping with episodes when they arise.

Exposure and Response Prevention

Exposure and response prevention entails gradually confronting the focus of the OCD (such as dirt or cracks in the sidewalk) and learning ways to deal with it that don't involve compulsive rituals.

Anti-Depressants

Anti-depressants aren't a catch-all solution to OCD, but they can provide emotional stability while other treatments do their work.

Electro-Convulsive Therapy

ECT is usually prescribed only when other treatments have failed and when the patient has a difficult time functioning.

Deep Brain Stimulation

Deep brain stimulation is an experimental procedure using electrical impulses directed at specific portions of the brain. Scientists believe it may be helpful in treating OCD.

References

• The Mayo Clinic on OCD

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