Treatment For OCD: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 3 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #735 in Health, #13,955 overall

Treatment For OCD

Obsessive compulsive disorder is defined as a psychiatric anxiety disorder. It is usually characterized by a subject's obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and their related compulsions (tasks or "rituals") which attempt to neutralize these obsessions.

As you can tell by the name, the disorder has two components; obsessive and compulsive.

The obsessive component consists of recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images. These are normally intrusive and inappropriate and as a result they can cause marked anxiety or distress.

The compulsive component consists of repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.

The late Howard Hughes suffered from OCD and you can see its portrayal in the film The Aviator.

There are various treatments recommended for obsessive-compulsive disorder. These include behavior therapy, cognitive therapy and medications. But there are also natural treatments that you should consider as well.

One of the most effective alternative treatments for OCD is hypnosis, which I'll discuss in more depth below.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Symptoms 

If you think you or someone you know has obsessive compulsive disorder, here is a brief rundown of the most common obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms:

Recurrent and persistent thoughts
These usually occur so often that you start to become anxious about the thoughts. They're not normally about regular day-to-day problems. Common OCD thoughts include cleanliness and needing everything in precise order.

Repetitive behavior and rituals
Things that you feel driven to do as a result of your repetitive thoughts. These could be washing your hands, cleaning and re-cleaning surfaces, repeating words over and over again. Any repetitive behavior that isn't normal.

Anxiety if you don't perform your rituals
If you start to become anxious when you are prevented from performing one or more of your rituals, this is a strong sign that you are suffering from OCD.

The symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder vary from person to person and can range from mild to totally obsessive, almost taking over your life.

Check out this book on overcoming obsessive compulsive disorder for drug-free help with your condition.

How Do You Want To Overcome Your OCD? 

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Using Hypnosis for OCD 

Using hypnosis for OCD is one of the best methods available to help treat the problems.

It's a very simple process: either find a local hypnotherapist who will tailor a series of hypnotherapy sessions to your exact needs or get hold of an OCD hypnosis MP3 and listen to it regularly.

Both options work well and have a high success rate.

The hypnosis will start by relaxing you so that you begin to let your worries and obsessions drift away. Once you've reached that relaxed state, you'll be given a series of instructions that gently work with your mind to bring about a change in the way you react to the issues you've been having.

Over the course of several hypnosis sessions, you should begin to notice that the things and events you obsessed about don't worry you as much. Maybe you wash your hands less often or can put up with things being ever so slightly out of order. These signs will show you that your hypnosis is working.

One of the best hypnosis tracks for OCD that I've found is available here for immediate download so you can start letting it work its magic straight away.

The OCD Workbook: Your Guide to Breaking Free from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 

The OCD Workbook: Your Guide to Breaking Free from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Amazon Price: $14.93 (as of 12/30/2009)Buy Now

More than 40,000 copies have provided help and hope to people with the disorder, and therapists have come to regard the book as a useful adjunct to their private practices. This fully revised and expanded edition includes new findings on the causes of OCD, including genetic research. It offers information on treatment options including neurosurgery, new medications, and a whole new chapter on day-to-day coping strategies for people with OCD.

Obsessive-compulsive Disorder on Wikipedia 

Obsessive?compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce anxiety, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing anxiety, or by combinations of such thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions). The symptoms of this anxiety disorder range from repetitive hand-washing and extensive hoarding to preoccupation with sexual, religious, or aggressive impulses. These symptoms can be alienating and time-consuming, and often cause severe emotional and economic loss. Although the acts of those who have OCD may appear paranoid and come across to others as psychotic, OCD sufferers often recognize their thoughts and subsequent actions as irrational, and they may become further distressed by this realization.

OCD is the fourth most common mental disorder and is diagnosed nearly as often as asthma and diabetes mellitus. In the United States, one in 50 adults has OCD. The phrase "obsessive?compulsive" has become part of the English lexicon, and is often used in an informal or caricatured manner to describe someone who is meticulous, perfectionistic, absorbed in a cause, or otherwise fixated on something or someone.Berrios G E (1985) Obsessional Disorders: A Conceptual History. Terminological and Classificatory Issues. In Bynum W F et al. (eds) The Anatomy of Madness Vol I , London, Tavistock, pp 166-187 Although these signs may be present in OCD, a person who exhibits them does not necessarily have OCD, and may instead have obsessive?comp...

Share Your Tips For Dealing With OCD 

submit
  • Reply
    heath1 heath1 Aug 7, 2009 @ 12:20 pm
    i have ocd very bad i have to talk to my mom all the time to clear it off and it bothers her and i dont like bothering her she understands but now im going to a new school bascicly and im afraid that my ocd wont ware off some before then it just started getting worse and i cant control my bad thoughts they tell me im gonna do this and that but i dont want to and it rages in my mind and i cant control it and it drives me insane and i really need help i take medication and i have a phyciatrist and its very hard so what can i do that wont cost much and at the same time relieve me of my ocd
  • Reply
    joeyg1973 joeyg1973 Mar 12, 2009 @ 10:19 pm
    This was a great Lens. I have had OCD my whole life and have often thought about hypnotism. I do believe cognitive-behavioral-therapy is better then the meds though. It has helped me tremendously. I found another cool article on obsessive compulsive disorder treatment. I'm not sure how effective it is, but I thought it was interesting.