Medication And Treatment Of Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
OCD, obsessive-compulsive disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder, is a common and treatable medical condition. Today there is a range of drugs, especially antidepressants, that are effective for the general treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
If not treated correctly, OCD can cause distress and complicate your daily activities. There is no need to be ashamed of seeking the right treatment for this condition.
It’s a disease like any other, like Parkinson’s or diabetes. It is therefore important to do your research on this condition so that you can better understand it and put your preconceived ideas behind you.
There have been many studies where the results show that the therapy known as cognitive behavioral therapy, along with medication, is an effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder.
So in this article, we’re going to look at different medications that you can use to treat OCD, as well as what the therapy involves.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
The first choice of treatment for any form of obsessive-compulsive disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy. In fact , this type of therapy has been recommended by major institutions such as the National Institute of Mental Health (Spanish link) and the Harvard School of Medicine (English link).
One type of cognitive behavioral therapy that specialists often use is response prevention exposure. This method involves gradual exposure to dreaded objects or obsessions, such as dirt, and tries to teach the patient healthy ways to face the fear this can cause.
Response prevention exposure requires effort and practice, but achieves effective results and improves your quality of life once you learn to control your obsessions and compulsions. You can do this type of therapy in individual sessions as well as in family or group sessions.
What medication is used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Antidepressants are the most common treatment option used by health professionals. In particular, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). These drugs can reduce your suffering and aid you in your therapy.
Antidepressants must be prescribed by a psychiatrist and are usually used on a temporary basis until you can treat the condition with the therapy we mentioned. However, each patient responds differently to medication and therapy.
Some people see good results with their first medication option, but others have to try different drugs to reduce their symptoms.
Doctors therefore sometimes combine reuptake inhibitors with other drugs to get better results. The drugs used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder are:
- Clomipramine – for people 10 years and older
- Fluoxetine – for patients older than 7 years
- Fluvoxamine – for people over 8 years old
- Paroxetine – prescribed for adults only
- Sertraline – for adults and children 6 years and older
It’s worth noting that when you take this type of antidepressant, it starts working 10 weeks after you start taking it. It is therefore sometimes difficult to tell whether they work or not. However, the doctor should always be the one making the decisions.
Combined treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder
While we have several medications that we can use for OCD, studies have consistently suggested (Spanish link) that relapse rates are lower with cognitive behavioral therapy than with medication.
So you should not take this as a generalization as every person is different. However, it is an interesting fact to help you deal with this problem.
The most effective way to reduce your symptoms is to combine therapy and medication. In fact, experts say that pharmaceutical treatment should complement cognitive behavioral therapy. In addition, you may only use medication prescribed by an expert.
