Finding Treatment for OCD

Do you struggle with intrusive, anxiety-producing thoughts that seem to pop up out of nowhere and compulsive behaviors you can’t seem to control no matter how hard you try? If so, you may be suffering from OCD. The good news is that effective treatment for OCD can equip you with strategies to help manage your symptoms and decrease their frequency and severity.

OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) is a chronic mental health condition that is characterized by two main types of symptoms – obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are distressing intrusive thoughts that lead you to perform compulsive ritualistic behaviors to try and control or ward them off.

This, however, only provides temporary relief and evolves into a vicious cycle of obsessive thinking, reacting compulsively to the obsessive thoughts, and then repeating the pattern over and over again.

Most effective treatment for OCD

Cognitive behavior therapy and exposure and response prevention are both effective, evidence-based treatments recommended for OCD. The gold standard, however, is to use a combination of both.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy is to train your brain to think in new ways when exposed to stressors. Its premise is that changing your thoughts will lead to a change in your behavior. Your counselor will help you identify and reframe the intrusive thoughts that cause you to act in compulsive ways by showing you how to question the irrational logic underlying the distress they produce and equipping you with practical steps you can take to decrease the severity and frequency of your symptoms.

Exposure and response prevention (ERP). Exposure and response prevention is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy that focuses more on the behavioral component of OCD and on learning how to face your triggers rather than try to avoid them.

Trying to avoid or cope with intrusive thoughts by engaging in compulsive behaviors only provides fleeting relief. What you’re doing is reinforcing your compulsions and contributing to the never-ending cycle of obsessive thoughts and compulsive reactions.

ERP aims to break this cycle by using a controlled, structured, systematic process to expose you gradually and repeatedly to your fears while having you resist the urge to engage in your compulsions. It can help you build confidence that what you fear will result if you resist those compulsions will not happen.

Your counselor will help you identify your triggers, have you rate them from highest to lowest amount of anxiety produced, and start with the ones that cause the least amount of fear. Exposure may be live, imaginary, or simulated, according to your level of tolerance, and you will also be given exercises to do at home between sessions. With consistency and persistence, the anxiety should eventually fade or go away.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Acceptance and commitment therapy is a newer, mindfulness-based therapy that has shown some promise, particularly when used in combination with ERT. The premise of ACT is that anxiety is a part of life, and the real problem is how you react to it, not the anxiety itself. Its goal is to help you accept your thoughts and feelings without judging them and show you ways to keep them from overwhelming you.

If you suspect you or someone close to you may be suffering from OCD don’t ignore your concerns. Left untreated, OCD can lead to other severe mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression, and significantly diminish your quality of life.

Counseling offers a safe place to examine and address your thoughts and feelings under the guidance of a nonjudgmental mental health professional who specializes in treatment for OCD and who can also help you develop healthy coping skills to deal with it.

If you would like to set up a risk-free appointment to meet with one of the faith-based counselors at Irvine Christian Counseling, please call us today.