What Treatments Are Available for OCD?
Both medications and psychotherapy have proven to be effective in most cases of OCD, and a combination of both is even more potent. Several medications are effective in helping people with OCD, including clomipramine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine and paroxetine. If one drug is not effective, others should be tried. A type of behavioral therapy known as “exposure and response prevention” is very useful for treating OCD. In this approach, a person is deliberately and voluntarily exposed to whatever triggers the obsessive thoughts and then is taught techniques to avoid performing the compulsive rituals and to deal with the anxiety. Cognitive psychotherapy also can be effective.
