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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
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Treatment of OCD

Reading time: 3 min

Because OCD is a common disorder, many scientific studies have been done to find out the best way to help people with it. These studies suggest there are basically two types of treatment to help people with OCD: psychological and pharmacological.

Person talking with the doctor

The psychological treatment that works best for OCD is Exposure and Response Prevention. It consists of teaching the person to cope with the discomfort or anxiety caused by the obsessions and learn to stop them. Exposure and response prevention is a type of psychological treatment called cognitive behavioural therapy, and is usually performed by a psychologist.

Other types of psychological treatment are more focused on talking with and supporting the person or looking for the psychological origins of the disorder; however, these psychological treatments are not generally found to be useful for people with OCD. If the patient has any questions about the type of treatment his professional can offer, he should ask about his experience with people with OCD and with Exposure and Response Prevention. The treatment requires an experienced professional to administer it. Not all professionals who offer psychological help have experience with this treatment or can perform it.

Round pills

The other type of effective treatment for OCD is pharmacological. There are several drugs that can help people with OCD. The most commonly used are antidepressants; especially those from the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor family. Despite their name, antidepressants are not only used in people with depression, but are effective in many mental disorders (including OCD). In general, the doses needed to adequately treat OCD are higher than those for people with depression.

The appropriate treatment for children and adolescents is considered to be psychological (Exposure and Response Prevention); with pharmacological treatment being used only if psychological treatment has not worked (or in very serious, incapacitating cases). Pharmacological treatment of OCD, in general, should be carried out by a psychiatrist. As with psychological treatment, you should address any questions to the professional treating you.

Some patients with the disorder are resistant to treatment, even after different pharmacological tests have been carried out. These patients should be referred by a professional to a specialist OCD Unit to assess new therapeutic possibilities (e.g. deep brain stimulation).

The role of relatives

People who live with OCD patients have a very important role to play in factors such as detecting and treating the disorder. It might seem strange to people close to the patient that someone has obsessions or compulsions or that they cannot stop experiencing them, but they must try to understand that the person with OCD obviously does not want to have symptoms that can cause them so many difficulties.

Sometimes relatives may participate in some of the patient’s compulsions or help them avoid certain situations. This is especially common in children and adolescents. Although the relatives are trying to help (or avoid disturbing the person with OCD), it is important to realise that these habits reduce the chances of improvement. Recommendations are to discuss such habits with the healthcare professional.

Read more Evolution of the disease
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Substantiated information by:

Luisa Lázaro García
Miquel Àngel Fullana Rivas

Published: 7 February 2019
Updated: 5 February 2025

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