Treatments
OCD is typically treated with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of the two. Most patients with OCD respond to treatment, some patients continue to experience and deal with their symptoms.
Sometimes people with OCD also have other mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphic disorder, a disorder in which someone mistakenly believes that a part of their body is abnormal. It is important to consider these other disorders when making decisions about treatment.
OCD is typically treated with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of the two. Most patients with OCD respond to treatment, some patients continue to experience and deal with their symptoms.
Sometimes people with OCD also have other mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphic disorder, a disorder in which someone mistakenly believes that a part of their body is abnormal. It is important to consider these other disorders when making decisions about treatment.
- Medication
If symptoms do not improve with these types of medications, research shows that some patients may respond well to an antipsychotic medication.Although research shows that an antipsychotic medication may be helpful in managing symptoms for people who have both OCD and a tic disorder, research on the effectiveness of antipsychotics to treat OCD is mixed.
- Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy can be an effective treatment for adults and children with OCD. Other related therapies can be as effective as medication for many or many individuals. Exposure and response prevention is effective in reducing compulsive behaviors in OCD, even in people who did not react to well to the medications.