How To Stop OCD Thoughts

Managing OCD thoughts is impossible for most people, especially when no support is available. In such circumstances, joining a professional rehabilitation centre to undergo carefully-curated treatments can significantly benefit the overall recovery.

Most rehabs providing mental health services offer the types of treatments to cure OCD thoughts:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT is an evidence-based highly-effective therapeutic programme used internationally to manage several health conditions, including OCD. It works on the principle that the development and intensification of OCD thoughts occur due to a series of deeply ingrained dysfunctional thought processes that force individuals to evaluate situations in an unhealthy way. This therapy aims to address these negative patterns of thoughts that form the basis of OCD for most people. Additionally, it helps clients examine why they developed these patterns to prevent relapses. It also aims to manage anxiety associated with OCD and prevent clients from engaging in harmful behaviours often observed as a part of the disease.

Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP)

ERP therapy is a therapeutic technique that encourages clients to face their fears gradually until they learn to tolerate and possibly overcome the anxiety they provoke. The process of ERP focuses on teaching people how to get rid of OCD by letting the obsessive thoughts wash over them instead of developing an urge to neutralise them.

As a part of the ERP therapy, experts repeatedly expose patients to stressful situations to test their fears and expectations. The process occurs gradually, providing enough time for the patients to tolerate the anxiety without engaging in any practices to reduce it. This therapy aims to help clients:

• Learn to give up control
• Repeatedly tolerate discomforts without any response
• Resist the compulsions

Through consistent exposure to stressful situations, patients slowly find it easier to face their fears and the anxiety they provoke. They are able to generalise what they learn through this therapy and apply it in other areas of life.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Re-Processing (EMDR)

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy designed to treat different mental health issues, such as addiction, anxiety, emotional trauma, and OCD. It allows the person on the receiving end to process an emotional experience that they find difficult to discuss. Following this treatment, patients can quickly develop the ability to discuss their traumas openly and in a way that might have proven challenging in the past.

OCD Medications

Many patients require a combination of therapy and medication to reach recovery. Medications can help reduce anxiety, reduce the risk of relapse post-treatment, and act as an additional buffer against OCD thoughts. The most commonly used drug to fix OCD is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a type of antidepressant medication. These medications have an edge as they are not addictive and may produce effects within weeks. However, it is still important to continue taking it for at least a year or more for complete recovery.

Most interventions for OCD mentioned above are provided on an outpatient basis where clients attend clinics every day and return to their homes at the end of the session. However, for some, this level of care may not be practical enough to achieve recovery, and a more intense programme might be required to make progress.