What is OCD?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition in which a person is accompanied by frequent unwanted thoughts that cause them to perform repetitive behaviors. Treatment for OCD usually involves medication and psychotherapy. However, the sooner it is diagnosed and treated, the better the outlook will be.
What are the symptoms of OCD?
The main symptoms of OCD are compulsions and obsessions that interfere with normal activities. For example, handwashing, counting, arranging, checking, and repeating words or actions.
These OCD symptoms can come and go, worsen, or ease over time. You may know that these symptoms are problematic, but you can’t stop them. Therefore, it’s important to see a healthcare provider immediately if you experience such symptoms.
How is OCD diagnosed?
There’s no definite test to confirm if you are suffering from OCD. A healthcare provider makes the diagnosis after taking your medical and mental health history and asking you about your symptoms. Providers use criteria explained in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) to analyze and diagnose OCD.
The criteria include:
- Having compulsions, obsessions, or both.
- The compulsions or obsessions take up a lot of time (more than an hour per day).
- It causes distress or affects your participation in work responsibilities, social activities, or other life events.
- The symptoms aren’t caused by alcohol, substances, medications, or another medical condition.
- The symptoms aren’t explained by a different mental health condition, such as an eating disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or body image disorder.
How is OCD treated?
The most common treatment plan for OCD involves medication and psychotherapy (talk therapy). However, your healthcare provider may recommend transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) if this treatment doesn’t work or your symptoms are severe.
Psychotherapy for OCD
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is a term used for a variety of treatment techniques that aim to help you analyze and change unhealthy emotions, behaviors, and thoughts.
There are several types of psychotherapy. The most effective and common forms for treating OCD include:
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Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
CBT helps you understand your emotions and thoughts. Moreover, in several sessions, CBT can help stop negative habits, alter harmful thoughts, and perhaps replace them with healthier ways to cope.
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Exposure and response prevention (ERP)
ERP is a type of Cognitive behavioral therapy. During ERP, a therapist exposes you to your triggering images and situations and makes you resist the urge to perform a compulsion. For example, they may ask you to touch dirty objects but then stop you from washing your hands. By staying in a situation that might be triggering for you, you learn that your anxious thoughts are just thoughts and not reality.
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Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
ACT helps you learn to accept obsessive thoughts as thoughts, thus taking the power away from them. An ACT therapist will help you learn mindfulness techniques, such as meditation and relaxation, that will help you live a meaningful life despite your OCD symptoms.
Medication for OCD
Medications called selective SRIs (SSRIs), serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), and tricyclic antidepressants may help treat OCD. Healthcare providers most often recommend SSRIs for OCD at much higher doses than they do for depression or anxiety. However, it is critical to only take medications under expert advice.
It may take up to eight to 12 weeks for these medications to start showing results.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it’s critical to remember that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition; therefore, seeking help as soon as symptoms appear can help ease the distress in your life. Mental health professionals and healthcare providers can help you provide an effective treatment plan that can enable yoy manage your obsessions and compulsions.
We have experts at Chughtai Lab who can offer the best treatment plans for OCD patients, whether it’s through medication or psychotherapy. So, don’t wait for the symptoms to get worse and book your appointment by reaching out to us at Aap Ki Sehat Ka Number – 03-111-456-789 or visit your nearest Chughtai Lab.
