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TREATMENTS FOR OCD

Treatment Options
OCD can be treated with medicine, behavior therapy, or a combination of both.

Medicines, including one called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have been proven effective in treating OCD. SSRIs make serotonin (a brain chemical) more available where it is needed. This effect may help correct the chemical imbalance that may have led to OCD.

In addition, experts recognize behavior therapy as an important, effective treatment for OCD. In behavior therapy, the therapist uses different methods to help patients feel less worried about their obsessions and to spend less time on rituals or obsessive thoughts.

See a Doctor for Help
If you think you or someone you care about may be suffering from OCD, it's important to talk to a doctor, especially one who already knows a lot about you or your loved one's history and health. OCD is a medical condition that responds well to treatment Together, you can determine if OCD is involved and decide on the next appropriate steps to take.

Although the person with OCD receives treatment, family members and friends can help, too. After all, OCD can also affect the whole family or even close friends. This is because the symptoms of OCD can affect the basic way relationships work.

Family members and friends can help by:

1. Learning as much as possible about OCD
2. Finding out about community resources for treatment and support
3. Encouraging the patient to stay on his or her prescribed medication and/or therapy
4. Participating actively in behavior therapy if recommended by the patient's therapist
   

It can be easier for the person with OCD to understand and follow his or her treatment program when family members and friends understand it, too.

Yes, getting better can be hard work. But there are many things you can do that will help. Talking to your doctor is very important. Learn all you can about OCD and its treatment. And share information about your condition with family and friends to help everyone understand what you are going through. After all, the less time you spend on rituals or compulsions, the more time you will have to enjoy the rest of your life.

Quotes from the team at Phobias:

There are two steps in solving a problem.  Believing you can solve the problem and solving the problem.  Once you have established belief you are more than half way there.

You may not always find happiness from your actions, but you will never find happiness from inaction.

Tell us your phobias, and we will tell you what you are afraid of.
Robert Benchley (1889 - 1945)

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

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