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OCD Treatment
The Evolution Of OCD Treatment
Over the past few decades, our understanding of OCD and its treatment has advanced significantly. Treatment for OCD has evolved from primarily psychodynamic approaches, such as psychoanalysis, to more evidence-based interventions that target the underlying biological and cognitive processes involved in the disorder.
In the early 20th century, OCD was primarily treated through psychodynamic psychotherapy, which focused on exploring the unconscious conflicts and early life experiences that were believed to underlie the disorder. While this approach was helpful for some individuals, it was not effective for everyone and did not address the underlying biology of the disorder.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the development of behavioural therapy marked a significant shift in the treatment of OCD. Behavioural therapy focused on modifying the compulsive behaviours associated with OCD through exposure and response prevention (ERP), which involves gradually exposing individuals to the situations that trigger their obsessions and preventing them from engaging in their compulsive behaviours. ERP was highly effective, and it remains a key component of OCD treatment to this day.
In the 1980s and 1990s, cognitive therapy emerged as a complementary approach to behavioural therapy. Cognitive therapy aims to identify and modify the underlying thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to OCD. By changing the way individuals think about their obsessions and compulsions, cognitive therapy can help reduce their severity and frequency.
More recently, the development of neurobiologically-based treatments has opened up new avenues for the treatment of OCD. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which increase the level of serotonin in the brain, have been found to be effective in reducing OCD symptoms for some individuals. Additionally, new medications that target other neurotransmitter systems, such as glutamate, are being developed and tested.
Another important development in OCD treatment has been the integration of different approaches into a multimodal treatment plan. This can include a combination of psychotherapy, medication, and other supportive interventions, such as support groups or family therapy. By tailoring treatment to the unique needs and circumstances of each individual, multimodal treatment plans have been found to be highly effective for managing OCD symptoms and improving quality of life.
Overall, the evolution of OCD treatment has been marked by a growing understanding of the biological and cognitive underpinnings of the disorder, as well as the development of evidence-based interventions that target these underlying processes. With continued research and development, we can continue to improve our understanding of OCD and develop even more effective treatments for individuals with this challenging disorder.
OCD Treatments And Therapies
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Psychotherapy
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
Dr Aaron T. Beck at the University of Pennsylvania first developed the practice of cognitive behavioural therapy in the 1960s. It is the most common and effective treatment for depression, with research suggesting that CBT may have lasting results that prevent future relapses of depressive symptoms.
Psychotherapy (commonly known as Talk Therapy) can be an effective form of treatment for anxiety. It helps you delve into the underlying reasons for your anxiety whilst learning new coping skills. Diagnosing anxiety disorders and teaching patients more effective, healthier ways to cope is what psychologists are trained in.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a therapy that, via gradual exposure, encourages you to face your fears and let obsessive thoughts occur without ‘neutralising’ or ‘putting them right’ with compulsions.
In cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a therapist will work with you to uncover unhealthy or negative thought patterns and identify how they may be causing harmful behaviours, reactions, and beliefs about yourself. CBT sessions are often accompanied by an “Action Plan,” your therapist may ask you to track the events of the week and negative reactions to those events in a journal. Additionally, you will be asked to practice relaxation activities, complete readings, and use worksheets focused on specific goals.
Psychotherapy is a collaborative process, with psychologists and patients working together to develop concrete skills and techniques for coping with anxiety and pinpoint specific concerns. Psychotherapy helps you to understand the ideas, emotions, and behaviours that contribute to anxiety symptoms. Life problems or events are looked into, seeing how these contribute to anxiety symptoms, whilst helping to understand which aspects of the problem may be able to be solved or improved. Patients can expect to practice their new skills outside of sessions to manage anxiety in situations that might make them uncomfortable.
Exposure therapy starts with confronting situations and items that cause anxiety. The process begins slowly with more ‘simple’ exposure exercises where the anxiety you feel will be tolerable. After the first few exposure sessions, you should find your anxiety does not climb as high and does not last as long. You will then advance on to more challenging exposure exercises.
Deep Brain Stimulation
Brainwave Entrainment
Medication
Deep brain stimulation (DBS), is a surgical procedure in which electrodes are implanted in the brain and connected to a device that delivers electrical impulses. DBS has been used experimentally in the treatment of severe, treatment-resistant OCD. While DBS is still considered an experimental treatment, some studies have shown promising results in reducing OCD symptoms.
When you have problems with digestive complaints like IBS, it means that the organ which has a problem is the gut. When you have problems with a mental or mood-related complaint like depression, the organ you have a problem with is the brain. Brainwave entrainment is a form of therapy that uses light to reduce fight or flight activity in the brain of a person who is suffering from depression, stress, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and general mood enhancement. Brainwave entrainment moves the entire brain into a certain state, interrupting or adjusting the brain’s response to particular situations. Effectively reprogramming how your brain processes and responds.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed medication for OCD. These drugs increase the level of serotonin in the brain, which can reduce the symptoms of OCD. Examples of SSRIs used for OCD include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), and fluvoxamine (Luvox). Other medications that may be used for OCD include tricyclic antidepressants and atypical antipsychotics.
DBS involves delivering electrical pulses directly into locations of the brain associated with OCD through a thin electrode. These electrodes deliver electrical pulses that affect specific cells and chemicals within the brain and help to regulate abnormal impulses. The quantity of stimulation in deep brain stimulation is managed by a pacemaker-like device placed under the skin of your upper chest. A wire that travels under your skin connects this apparatus to the electrodes in your brain.
Deep brain stimulation is commonly used to treat a number of conditions, such as:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Parkinson’s disease
- Essential tremor
- Dystonia
- Epilepsy
Brainwave entrainment sessions are generally very relaxing. They don’t involve talking to a therapist and can make a rapid and cost-effective change to the life and people suffering from mental health challenges. It is a breakthrough therapy and one that has the potential to dramatically improve the situation we are currently faced with in NZ.
A psychiatrist or other prescribing clinician may prescribe:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine (Prozac) or sertraline (Zoloft)
- the tricyclic antidepressant clomipramine (Anafranil), though this medication generally will not be prescribed as a first-line treatment
- antipsychotics like aripiprazole (Abilify) or risperidone (Risperdal), which can enhance the effects of SSRIs
Memantine (Namenda), an NMDA receptor antagonist, which can also improve the effects of SSRIs
OCD Treatments And Therapies
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Dr Aaron T. Beck at the University of Pennsylvania first developed the practice of cognitive behavioural therapy in the 1960s. It is the most common and effective treatment for depression, with research suggesting that CBT may have lasting results that prevent future relapses of depressive symptoms.
In cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a therapist will work with you to uncover unhealthy or negative thought patterns and identify how they may be causing harmful behaviours, reactions, and beliefs about yourself. CBT sessions are often accompanied by an “Action Plan,” your therapist may ask you to track the events of the week and negative reactions to those events in a journal. Additionally, you will be asked to practice relaxation activities, complete readings, and use worksheets focused on specific goals.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy (commonly known as Talk Therapy) can be an effective form of treatment for anxiety. It helps you delve into the underlying reasons for your anxiety whilst learning new coping skills. Diagnosing anxiety disorders and teaching patients more effective, healthier ways to cope is what psychologists are trained in.
Psychotherapy is a collaborative process, with psychologists and patients working together to develop concrete skills and techniques for coping with anxiety and pinpoint specific concerns. Psychotherapy helps you to understand the ideas, emotions, and behaviours that contribute to anxiety symptoms. Life problems or events are looked into, seeing how these contribute to anxiety symptoms, whilst helping to understand which aspects of the problem may be able to be solved or improved. Patients can expect to practice their new skills outside of sessions to manage anxiety in situations that might make them uncomfortable.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a therapy that, via gradual exposure, encourages you to face your fears and let obsessive thoughts occur without ‘neutralising’ or ‘putting them right’ with compulsions.
Exposure therapy starts with confronting situations and items that cause anxiety. The process begins slowly with more ‘simple’ exposure exercises where the anxiety you feel will be tolerable. After the first few exposure sessions, you should find your anxiety does not climb as high and does not last as long. You will then advance on to more challenging exposure exercises.
Deep Brain Stimulation
Deep brain stimulation (DBS), is a surgical procedure in which electrodes are implanted in the brain and connected to a device that delivers electrical impulses. DBS has been used experimentally in the treatment of severe, treatment-resistant OCD. While DBS is still considered an experimental treatment, some studies have shown promising results in reducing OCD symptoms.
DBS involves delivering electrical pulses directly into locations of the brain associated with OCD through a thin electrode. These electrodes deliver electrical pulses that affect specific cells and chemicals within the brain and help to regulate abnormal impulses. The quantity of stimulation in deep brain stimulation is managed by a pacemaker-like device placed under the skin of your upper chest. A wire that travels under your skin connects this apparatus to the electrodes in your brain.
Deep brain stimulation is commonly used to treat a number of conditions, such as:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Parkinson’s disease
- Essential tremor
- Dystonia
- Epilepsy
Brainwave Entrainment
When you have problems with digestive complaints like IBS, it means that the organ which has a problem is the gut. When you have problems with a mental or mood-related complaint like depression, the organ you have a problem with is the brain. Brainwave entrainment is a form of therapy that uses light to reduce fight or flight activity in the brain of a person who is suffering from depression, stress, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and general mood enhancement. Brainwave entrainment moves the entire brain into a certain state, interrupting or adjusting the brain’s response to particular situations. Effectively reprogramming how your brain processes and responds.
Brainwave entrainment sessions are generally very relaxing. They don’t involve talking to a therapist and can make a rapid and cost-effective change to the life and people suffering from mental health challenges. It is a breakthrough therapy and one that has the potential to dramatically improve the situation we are currently faced with in NZ.
Medication
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed medication for OCD. These drugs increase the level of serotonin in the brain, which can reduce the symptoms of OCD. Examples of SSRIs used for OCD include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), and fluvoxamine (Luvox). Other medications that may be used for OCD include tricyclic antidepressants and atypical antipsychotics.
A psychiatrist or other prescribing clinician may prescribe:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine (Prozac) or sertraline (Zoloft)
- the tricyclic antidepressant clomipramine (Anafranil), though this medication generally will not be prescribed as a first-line treatment
- antipsychotics like aripiprazole (Abilify) or risperidone (Risperdal), which can enhance the effects of SSRIs
Memantine (Namenda), an NMDA receptor antagonist, which can also improve the effects of SSRIs
Severn Clinics Supports Successful Holistic Care Of
Severn Clincis Supports Successful Holistic Care Of
FIBROMYALGIA
CHRONIC PAIN
DEPRESSION
ANXIETY
STRESS
OCD
PTSD
TRAUMA
INSOMNIA
ADD & ADHD
CHRONIC FATIGUE
MOOD DISORDERS
OCD Treatment Guidelines
OCD is a complex condition and treatment plans should be tailored to the individual’s unique needs and circumstances. With that in mind, here are some general principles and strategies that may be helpful in the treatment of OCD:
Develop A Comprehensive Treatment Plan
Effective treatment for OCD often involves a combination of therapy and medication. It’s important to work with a mental health professional who has experience in treating OCD and who can help you develop a comprehensive treatment plan that takes into account your specific symptoms and needs.
Consider Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a type of talk therapy that is often used to treat OCD. CBT can help you identify and challenge your obsessive thoughts, develop coping strategies for managing anxiety, and gradually reduce your compulsive behaviours through exposure and response prevention. Exposure and response prevention involves gradually exposing you to situations that trigger your obsessive thoughts and prevent you from engaging in compulsive behaviours.
Explore Medication Options
Medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can be effective in reducing the severity of OCD symptoms. Other medications that target neurotransmitters such as glutamate are also being developed.
Focus On Self-Care
Managing OCD can be stressful and challenging, so it’s important to practice good self-care. This can include getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, engaging in regular exercise, and practising relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga.
Seek Support
Living with OCD can be isolating, and it’s important to seek support from family, friends, or a support group. Connecting with others who have similar experiences can help you feel less alone and provide you with a sense of community.
Monitor progress: It’s important to track your progress throughout treatment to ensure that you are making meaningful gains. This can involve tracking your symptoms, monitoring your medication side effects, and reflecting on your progress in therapy.
Monitor Progress
It’s important to track your progress throughout treatment to ensure that you are making meaningful gains. This can involve tracking your symptoms, monitoring your medication side effects, and reflecting on your progress in therapy.
Session Selection
Individual Session
A single session is perfect if you need a little mental relaxation during moments of heighten stress. Ideal to help combat the effects of, or prepare for a busy week.
Course Of Sessions
We recommend a course of sessions if you are looking at supporting a specific outcome. A course typically lasts five or ten weeks, where one or two light sessions per week can be scheduled.
This course protocol is then repeated every 2 to 3 months. Maintenance or relaxation sessions can be completed weekly or fortnightly during this more focused period; this is especially recommended if work or life stresses are significant.
Session Selection
Individual Session
A single session is perfect if you need a little mental relaxation during moments of heighten stress. Ideal to help combat the effects of, or prepare for a busy week.
Course Of Sessions
We recommend a course of sessions if you are looking at supporting a specific outcome. A course typically lasts five or ten weeks, where one or two light sessions per week can be scheduled.
This course protocol is then repeated every 2 to 3 months. Maintenance or relaxation sessions can be completed weekly or fortnightly during this more focused period; this is especially recommended if work or life stresses are significant.
Example Severn Clinics Sessions
Conscious Living SMR
Length: 30 minutes
No More Anxiety
Length: 30 minutes
No More Insomnia
Length: 45 Minutes
Purpose: Emotional balance, focus & attention, elevated mood, improved sleep
Purpose: Anxiety, Tension, Fear, and Stress Relief / Calm Awareness and Focus/Feelings of Well-being
Purpose: Improved sleep, Calmness and Stress relief
Feeling: Chilled,Peaceful, Calming, Colourful
Feeling: Gentle, Chilled, Sleepy, Peaceful, Calming, Enjoyable
Feeling: Chilled, Sleepy, Peaceful, Calming
Frequencies: 100% SMR (12-15Hz) with 85% at 14.4Hz
Frequencies: 0.1Hz, SMR variable (13 -14 Hz)
Frequencies: Theta and low Beta/SMR frequencies
This session uses solely frequencies in the SMR range. SMR stands for Sensory Motor Rhythm and is considered a fundamental balance frequency. Practice within this frequency range leads to a heightened ability to respond appropriately in changing situations. Almost like heart rate variability (HRV) for the brain.
The result is improved concentration, focus, brain clarity, elevated mood, improved sleep patterns, and reduced stress. If there was such a thing as a magic bullet frequency, SMR would be in the running.
Anxiety is probably the most prevalent challenge for people in modern times. Research shows that it’s not just an overabundance of higher brain waves that are more common in people with anxiety but a lack of coherence in the lower brain frequencies. This session is designed to help you retrain yourself into an idling state. The idling state is where you are ready to either take action or relax.
No More Insomnia is perfect for improving sleep, aiding calmness and supporting stress relief, it does this by increasing your SMR (Sensory Motor Rhythm) frequencies. SMR is your brains idling state where you are ready for either action or relaxation.
SMR frequencies have been shown to have some significant beneficial effects on calmness and quality of rest.
These frequencies are also responsible for movement, both while awake and non movement while asleep.
This session is best used during the day rather than at night, which makes it perfect to add into your weekly sleep support routine
Example Severn Clinics Sessions
Conscious Living SMR
Length: 30 Minutes
Purpose: Emotional balance, focus & attention, elevated mood, improved sleep
Feeling: Chilled, Peaceful, Calming, Colourful
Frequencies: 100% SMR (12-15Hz) with 85% at 14.4Hz
This session uses solely frequencies in the SMR range. SMR stands for Sensory Motor Rhythm and is considered a fundamental balance frequency. Practice within this frequency range leads to a heightened ability to respond appropriately in changing situations. Almost like heart rate variability (HRV) for the brain.
The result is improved concentration, focus, brain clarity, elevated mood, improved sleep patterns, and reduced stress. If there was such a thing as a magic bullet frequency, SMR would be in the running.
No More Anxiety
Length: 30 Minutes
Purpose: Anxiety, Tension, Fear, and Stress Relief / Calm Awareness and Focus/Feelings of Well-being
Feeling: Gentle, Chilled, Sleepy, Peaceful, Calming, Enjoyable
Frequencies: 0.1Hz, SMR variable (13 -14 Hz)
Anxiety is probably the most prevalent challenge for people in modern times. Research shows that it’s not just an overabundance of higher brain waves that are more common in people with anxiety but a lack of coherence in the lower brain frequencies. This session is designed to help you retrain yourself into an idling state. The idling state is where you are ready to either take action or relax.
No More Insomnia
Length: 45 Minutes
Purpose: Improved sleep, Calmness and Stress relief
Feeling: Chilled, Sleepy, Peaceful, Calming
Frequencies: Theta and low Beta/SMR frequencies
No More Insomnia is perfect for improving sleep, aiding calmness and supporting stress relief, it does this by increasing your SMR (Sensory Motor Rhythm) frequencies. SMR is your brains idling state where you are ready for either action or relaxation.
SMR frequencies have been shown to have some significant beneficial effects on calmness and quality of rest.
These frequencies are also responsible for movement, both while awake and non movement while asleep.
This session is best used during the day rather than at night, which makes it perfect to add into your weekly sleep support routine