Quote:
Originally posted by directfiesta
Senility is really not funny. I pity you
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OCD is a potentially devastating illness that can result in considerable social and economic disability for both afflicted patients and for their family members. OCD is usually treated with a combination of specific behavioral therapies, called exposure and response prevention, and medications. It is important to note that many psychoactive medications are not likely to help OCD symptoms, but that a number of partially effective drugs have now been carefully evaluated. The treatment, however, for most OCD patients should involve the combination of behavior therapy with medications. This pamphlet will focus on medications, but that is not meant to diminish the importance of behavior therapy. The topics covered in this pamphlet are based upon questions that I am frequently asked. Some were suggested by Jim Broatch, and others came from Chris Vertullo's list.
What kinds of medications may help OCD?
The majority of the drugs that help OCD are classified as antidepressants. It is important to note that depression commonly results from the disability produced by OCD, and that doctors can treat both the OCD and depression with the same medication. There are also a number of disorders that are possibly related to OCD, such as compulsive gambling and sexual behaviors, trichotillomania, body dysmorphic disorder, compulsive eating, nail biting, and compulsive spending. There is some evidence that the medications and behavior therapies discussed in this pamphlet will help some of these patients also, but more research is needed in this area to give firm recommendations.