What is the best way to get over obsessive-compulsiveness?

Question by P.P.P: What is the best way to get over obsessive-compulsiveness?
It completely ruins my life. When i take a test, i check my answer not less than 5 times and only after i am 100% sure it is correct i move on to the next question. Etc… etc… etc… What is the best treatment?

Best answer:

Answer by Kelly
Well, I’ve been diagnosed with OCD, and so far I don’t know what the best treatment is unless it’s so bad where you need medicine. I really couldn’t tell you, you’d have to go to a doctor for that.

Answer by Baba Yaga
Treatment
Clinical and animal research sponsored by NIMH and other scientific organizations has provided information leading to both pharmacological and behavioral treatments that can benefit the person with OCD. One patient may benefit significantly from behavior therapy, yet another will benefit from pharmacotherapy. And others may benefit best from both. Others may begin with medication to gain control over their symptoms and then continue with behavior therapy. Which therapy to use should be decided by the individual patient in consultation with his or her therapist.

Medication
Clinical trials in recent years have shown that drugs that affect the neurotransmitter serotonin can significantly decrease the symptoms of OCD. The first of these serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SRIs) specifically approved for the use in the treatment of OCD was the tricyclic anti-depressant clomipramine (Anafranil). It was followed by other SRIs that are called “selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors” (SSRIs). Those that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of OCD are flouxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox) and paroxetine (Paxil). Another that has been studied in controlled clinical trials is sertraline (Zoloft).

Large studies have shown that more than three-quarters of patients are helped by these medications at least a little. And in more than half of patients, medications relieve symptoms of OCD by diminishing the frequency and intensity of the obsessions and compulsions. Improvement usually takes at least three weeks or longer. If a patient does not respond well to one of these medications, or has unacceptable side effects, another SRI may give a better response. For patients who are only partially responsive to these medications, research is being conducted on the use of an SRI as the primary medication and one of a variety of medications as an additional drug (an augmenter). Medications are of help in controlling the symptoms of OCD, but often, if the medication is discontinued, relapse will follow.

Behavior Therapy
Traditional psychotherapy, aimed at helping the patient develop insight into his or her problem, is generally not helpful for OCD. However, a specific behavior therapy approach called “exposure and response prevention” is effective for many people with OCD. In this approach, the patient deliberately and voluntarily confronts the feared object or idea, either directly or by imagination. At the same time the patient is strongly encouraged to refrain from ritualizing, with support and structure provided by the therapist, and possibly by others whom the patient recruits for assistance. For example, a compulsive hand washer may be encouraged to touch an object believed to be contaminated, and then urged to avoid washing for several hours until the anxiety provoked has greatly decreased. Treatment then proceeds on a step-by-step basis, guided by the patient’s ability to tolerate the anxiety and control the rituals. As treatment progresses, most patients gradually experience less anxiety from the obsessive thoughts and are able to resist the compulsive urges.

Studies of behavior therapy for OCD find it to be a successful treatment for the majority of patients who complete it, and the positive effects endure once treatment has ended, if there are follow-up sessions and other relapse-prevention components. According to studies, more than 300 OCD patients who were treated by exposure and response prevention, an average of 76 percent showed lasting results from 3 months to 6 years after treatment.

One study provides new evidence that cognitive-behavioral therapy may prove an effective aid for those with OCD. This variant of behavior therapy emphasizes changing the OCD sufferer’s beliefs and thinking patterns. Further studies are required before cognitive-behavioral therapy can be adequately evaluated.

Self-Care and Family Support
People with OCD will do best if they attend therapy, take all prescribed medications, seek support of family, friends, and a discussion group. When a family member suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder it’s helpful to be patient about their progress and acknowledge any successes, no matter how small.

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