A diagnose of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is not always an easy thing to accept or understand. It is also very difficult to diagnose. The traits of OCD are similar to numerous other mental disorders, so working with a doctor is crucial for a correct diagnosis.
OCD has no cure and cannot completely go away on its own. A mental disorder like OCD requires treatment to stop the repetitive thoughts and behaviors to place you back in control of your own life.
What is OCD?
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a cognitive disorder where an individual is unable to stop repetitive behaviors or thoughts. A diagnosis of OCD requires the patterns of thought a person must exhibit must be unreasonable and compulsive. It must also interfere with their daily life.
A diagnose of OCD requires both unreasonable and compulsive symptoms. Getting rid of them requires repetitive action to perform in an almost ritualistic fashion.
What are the symptoms of OCD?
The symptoms of OCD can vary between suffers, but it often has similar themes and actions such as:
• Needing organize things in order by pattern, size, shape, etc.
• Fear of dirt and grime.
• Thoughts that are intrusive such as sexual, aggressive, or religious.
Examples of OCD
OCD can be exhibit itself in multiple ways, but some of the most common ways are:
• Fear of contamination
• Fear has not turned off the stove or locked the door.
• Stress when things like money are not all facing the right way and organized by denomination and serial number.
• Thoughts of hurting yourself or the people around you.
What kind of treatment is available?
A disorder like OCD is psychological, and treatments need t to match the person and the type of OCD they have. Most commonly, treatment involves medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a common treatment along with medication.
A mental health professional builds the exposure and response prevention treatment around a medication. The treatment often requires multiple professionals working together to develop a treatment plan. It is not uncommon to develop multiple treatment plans.
What Happens of OCD treatment doesn’t work?
Patients are required to work with trained professionals at least twice a week in outpatient clinics. More intensive patients may join groups while doing one-on-one sessions several times a week. Day programs are also an option for intensive treatment help. Admission to partial hospitalization or residential treatment is an option for moderate to severe patients.
Impatient OCD treatment is the highest form of treatment available for OCD suffers. Impatient treatment includes admittance to a locked unit in a mental health facility. Patients entering into this level of care most often are unable to care for themselves or are at risk for others.
The goal of all forms of treatment is to get the patients to a stable level where they can manage treatment and their normal life equally. There is no cure for OCD, but most patients can get the tools they need to manage their lives.
