What is OCD?
How common is OCD?
Key Features of OCD
What causes OCD?
Do I have OCD? (screening test)
Treatment of OCD; Progress Through Research
How to Get Help for OCD
What the Family Can Do to Help
Continuing Research
If You Have Special Needs
For Further Information
References
How to Get Help for OCD
If you think that you have OCD, you should seek the help of a mental health professional. Family physicians, clinics, and health maintenance organizations may be able to provide treatment or make referrals to mental health centers and specialists. Also, the department of psychiatry at a major medical center or the department of psychology at a university may have specialists who are knowledgeable about the treatment of OCD and are able to provide therapy or recommend another doctor in the area.
What the Family Can Do to Help
OCD affects not only the sufferer but the whole family. The family often has a difficult time accepting the fact that the person with OCD cannot stop the distressing behavior. Family members may show their anger and resentment, resulting in an increase in the OCD behavior. Or, to keep the peace, they may assist in the rituals or give constant reassurance.Education about OCD is important for the family. Families can learn specific ways to encourage the person with OCD to adhere fully to behavior therapy and/or pharmacotherapy programs. Self-help books are often a good source of information. Some families seek the help of a family therapist who is trained in the field. Also, in the past few years, many families have joined one of the educational support groups that have been organized throughout the country.
CONTINUING RESEARCH
Research into treatment for OCD is ongoing in several areas--ways of increasing availability of effective behavior therapy; cognitive therapy; relapse prevention; methods of reducing medication in patients who have a history of being unable to tolerate medication, such as small, liquid doses of flouxetine or the use of intravenous clomipramine; and neurosurgery, a new approach to treatment-refractory OCD. In the very few centers where neurosurgery has been performed as a clinical procedure, candidates are generally restricted to those who have failed to respond to conventional treatments, including behavior therapy and pharmacotherapy.In addition to research into treatment modalities, NIMH researchers are conducting studies into possible linkage of OCD to some autoimmune diseases (diseases in which infection-fighting cells, or antibodies, turn against the body, trying to destroy it). Other NIMH-supported studies compare behavior therapy, pharmacotherapy, and a combination of both.
Anecdotal reports of the successful use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in
OCD have been published over the past several decades. Most often, the benefit
from ECT has been short lived, and this treatment is now generally restricted to
instances of treatment-resistant OCD accompanied by severe depression.
If You Have Special Needs
Individuals with OCD are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA). Among organizations that offer information related to the ADA are the ADA
Information Line at the U.S. Department of Justice, (202) 514-0301, and the Job
Accommodation Network (JAN), part of the President's Committee on the Employment
of People with Disabilities in the U.S. Department of Labor. JAN is located at
West Virginia University, 809 Allen Hall, P.O. Box 6122, Morgantown, WV 26506,
telephone (800) 526-7234 (voice or TDD), (800) 526-4698 (in West Virginia).
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association publishes a directory of indigent programs for those who cannot afford medications. Physicians can request a copy of the guide by calling 800-762-4636 (800-PMA-INFO).
Next: For Further Information
