Treating OCD

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a condition characterized by unwanted and uncontrollable intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that are paired with compulsions that soothe the anxiety the obsession creates. Intrusive thoughts can come in many categories, but trust me when I say if you're having intrusive thoughts that you think are so bizarre, violent, or disgusting, I can assure you that you cannot shock me. I have heard themes of OCD that the general population would find shocking and even disturbing. Some of the more taboo themes of OCD fall into the realms of harming self or others, pedophilia, and relationship anxieties, while some more known themes may involve contamination, counting, or checking behaviours. No matter the theme of your OCD, the treatment approach is the same, because the mechanism behind the OCD is the same.

In the pattern of obsessions and compulsions, our brain asks us to make a choice to soothe the anxiety. The problem is, each time we do the compulsion, we teach our brain that the anxiety was making us unsafe. In reality, anxiety is not dangerous. Each time we soothe the anxiety with a compulsion, the anxiety may decrease temporarily, but it will inevitably come back, because your brain continues to tell you that you are not safe. 

The pattern of OCD, Newport Institute

The front line treatment for OCD is exposure and response prevention (ERP). In short, exposure and response prevention is a “face your fears” intervention. In ERP, clients are asked to approach their fears through exposure activities, without completing the comforting ritual of their compulsion. Over time, clients learn through their exposures that they can tolerate the anxiety the obsession gives them.

ERP can help you get your life back from the time consuming and distressing pattern of OCD. Choosing to start ERP is not always an easy decision. It is a type of therapy that takes commitment and courage, but on the other side of ERP is a life without being held in the grips of the obsessive compulsive cycle.