According to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMM), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which people have obsessions and compulsions. This means people with OCD has thoughts, feelings, ideas or sensations that make them carry out specific behaviors. Proper diagnosis of OCD is done by a medical doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist. Treatment options for the condition include medications paired with or taken without therapy. There are multiple types of medications and forms of therapy that are effective in treating people with OCD.
Medication
The Mayo Clinic indicates that certain psychiatric medications can be prescribed to help reduce the obsessions and compulsions of OCD. Primarily, antidepressants are used because they help increase serotonin levels in the brain. OCD is associated with low serotonin levels. Specific types of antidepressants used, according to the Mayo Clinic, include clomipramine, fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, paroxetine and sertraline. There are other options for prescription medication drugs as well, but these are prescribed at your doctor or medical care provider's discretion.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
The UMM explains that psychotherapy can be used to teach stress reduction methods as well as reduce anxiety and help cope with inner conflicts. This is achieved through sessions with a licensed mental health professional such as a counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist. The Mayo Clinic reports that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be the most effective in treating people with OCD. CBT requires the professional to guide a patient to retrain thought patterns and routines to diminish the need for compulsiveness associated with the disorder. The premise to this form of therapy is that thoughts control behavior, and by changing the thought, patients can change their behavior.
Exposure Therapy
One specific form of therapy used in treating OCD is exposure therapy. This practice requires the patient to focus on the feared object or obsession, such as intruders, and learn new rational ways of dealing with the fear, explains the Mayo Clinic. This takes repetitive practice to implement the new thoughts and impact behaviors. The premise to this therapy is that patients will eventually get rid of the fear they feel toward the object or situation causing their obsessions.
Inpatient Treatment
In the event that traditional treatment methods like therapy and medication are not working, an individual can participate in other OCD treatment methods. These include inpatient hospitalization in a psychiatric unit for intensive care and observation or residential treatment programs. Medication and therapy are likely to be included in these two treatment options. The more intensive options like these allow patients to focus solely on the disorder and receive ample medical attention with the hope that the symptoms will be controlled.
Invasive Treatment
When everything else has failed a psychologist or psychiatrist may recommend more invasive treatment methods to impact the brain. These, according to the Mayo Clinic, include electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation and deep brain stimulation. These methods require electrodes to be sent through the brain in three specific ways to alter the way the brain works. This can be effective, but the side effects may outweigh the benefits of such intense treatment.
