Obsessive compulsive disorder: 7 effective ways to deal with it

This psychological disorder is becoming increasingly common. If your obsessions make your daily life unbearable; Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) increases stress and can disconnect you from social life!

You think that your hands are constantly covered in germs and you wash them constantly to prevent this! You often fear that you will lose your loved ones, and you take some meaningless actions to prevent this from happening. You count the curb stones or any object while driving on the road, but since this causes you to be delayed everywhere and causes problems, you develop a ritual such as just looking ahead on the road to avoid this! Are you ready to get rid of this mental disorder, medically known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

You should seek professional help if your daily life is disrupted by thoughts or behaviors for two weeks or more, if the compulsive behaviors that ‘quiet’ the obsessions have the potential to harm you, or if you are at risk of harming yourself.

What are 7 effective ways to deal with obsessive compulsive disorder?

Psychiatry experts stated that it is often necessary to receive psychological treatment to get rid of these behaviors, but it is also possible for the person to overcome this disorder by paying attention to some rules and making an effort, and explained 7 effective ways to deal with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

1- Keep an OCD Diary

You may have seen some people keep food diaries when dieting to keep track of what they eat each day; an OCD diary plays the same role. An OCD journal can help you keep track of your triggers or find new ones and assess the status of your overall OCD. Carry your OCD journal with you wherever you go and record what happens after you complete a compulsion.

2- Expose and Response Prevent!

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a common way to confront and possibly alleviate OCD.

When using ERP, the person confronts himself with a situation that will lead to obsession and does not become compulsive later on. Try creating an OCD ladder by listing your fears and their subsequent triggers on a 10-step ladder in order of severity from 1 to 10.

When you begin ERP, start with a level one trigger, waiting 10 seconds before using your compulsion when faced with your trigger. Gradually increase the time before using your compulsion until you are ready to perform the task or face the situation without needing your compulsion. Move up your OCD ladder as you overcome your triggers.

3- Identify the symptoms in advance

Once you learn more about the symptoms and subtypes of OCD, spend some time identifying your own OCD obsessions and compulsions and the ways they manifest.

So, after a while, if you identify how, when and where your obsessions arise, you will be better prepared to control them in real time, rather than unknowingly feeding the cycle by engaging in compulsive behaviors.

4- Refocus Your Attention

If you think about or experience your obsession for an hour or more, and if you try to perform certain behaviors to relieve these obsessions, try to refocus your attention on the moment.

Refocusing your attention can be done physically or mentally. By increasing your awareness, you can recognize when your attention is starting to drift and quickly bring your focus back to where it needs to be. If at the end of the refocusing period you still feel the need to complete your obsession, try repeating the session.

5- Reward Yourself for Success

As you work to cope with your OCD, also take time to celebrate your successes.

Dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is difficult, so when success is achieved it should be celebrated like any other success. Determine your rewards before challenging yourself.

For example; If you can wait 20 seconds before completing your compulsion, you can activate your reward. You don’t need to reward or create expectations for every scenario, as this can create more stress. Maybe you can reward yourself at the end of the week for any progress you’ve made, or reward yourself right away if you decide to face an obligation.

6- Keep Your Stress to a Minimum

Living with and dealing with OCD is hard work, and it can become even more difficult when stress is present.

Stress has been shown to significantly increase OCD in people, so keeping your stress levels low is crucial. Make sure you include time in your daily schedule to de-stress. Whether it’s going for a run, reading a book, or watching some TV, finding time to de-stress for an hour each day can be incredibly beneficial.

7- Remind Yourself of the Facts

It’s easy to fall into a cycle of self-doubt and blame, but try to break that cycle.

When you start to feel guilty about having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, remind yourself that you have a diagnosed medical condition. Would you be angry if your friend with asthma had to stop and take his medicine? Of course no! Therefore, there is no need to feel guilty when you behave outside the norm or cause a slight delay. This is a normal situation.

Here are some research articles that might help you deal with OCD:

1. A New Way to Understand—and Possibly Treat—OCD: This article from Scientific American discusses how people with OCD have a more flexible “sense of self” and how this finding suggests new ways to treat OCD[1].
2. Obsessive Behavior: 10 Ways To Cope With OCD: This article from BetterHelp provides 10 techniques for managing obsessive behavior associated with OCD[2].
3. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment: This article from JAMA Network discusses the latest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of OCD[3].
4. How to Manage OCD: 6 Methods and Resources: This article from Psych Central provides 6 methods and resources to help manage OCD symptoms[4].

OCD Treatment Options:

Here are 5 OCD treatment options you can consider:

1- Deep TMS:

Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Deep TMS™) is a unique treatment course that uses magnetic fields to safely, effectively, and non-invasively reach brain structures associated with mental health conditions.

Deep TMS has been FDA-cleared to treat OCD since 2018, due to its ability to offer substantial relief to those battling this condition. This finding was confirmed by a 2019 multicenter, sham-controlled clinical study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, which determined Deep TMS to effectively and safely alleviate symptoms of OCD, even among those patients who had not sufficiently improved from medication or therapy[5].

As a non-invasive form of therapy, Deep TMS does not require anesthesia, can be incorporated into the individuals’ daily routine and does not cause any long-lasting or significant side effects.

2- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:

CBT is a form of talk therapy that is considered a first-line treatment for OCD. Under the guidance of a trained mental health professional, CBT focuses on the thoughts, feelings, behaviors and physical reactions involved in OCD. This is done in an effort to familiarize the patient with the condition’s different facets and gradually help alleviate its symptoms.

Over the years, several different types of therapy have branched out of CBT to offer patients with OCD greater symptom relief[6]. Most notably among them is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): ACT promotes openness and flexibility when reacting to OCD symptoms, as the therapist helps the patient define and follow through with a commitment to their own well-being[7].

3- Exposure and response therapy (ERP)

Exposure and response therapy (ERP) is an additional form of therapy found to effectively treat OCD. ERP helps the patient overcome their OCD by gradually exposing them to stimuli they associate with OCD-inducing anxiety[8]. The patient is encouraged to refrain from reacting to the stimuli in a compulsory manner, and over time they become accustomed to managing OCD-related, anxiety-raising behavior.  Learn more about ERP for OCD and read examples of its application at choosingtherapy.com

4- Psychopharmacology:

Medication is another form of therapy often considered a first-line treatment course for OCD.

The FDA has approved several selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as the branded medications Prozac and Zoloft, as well as one tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) to treat the condition, with SSRIs being the most commonly prescribed class of medication.

Though many patients battling OCD symptoms attest to the relief psychopharmacology has provided them, many also experience a number of side effects, and may decide to discontinue this form of treatment due to their severity.

5- Psychodynamic Therapy:

Another form of therapy found to offer some relief to patients with OCD is psychodynamics. This treatment explores the relationships and events found, among other features of their life, to be fundamental to the patient’s sense of self, view of the world and personal narrative. These elements are then examined in relation to the adverse OCD symptoms they are experiencing, in an effort to understand the deeper reasons behind the ways they respond to the anxiety their condition produces within them. Over time, the patient is hopefully able to move away from automatically responding to their induced anxiety, as more flexible, pacifying and beneficial reactions take their place.

References:

1. Baland Jalal, “A New Way to Understand–and Possibly Treat–OCD” in SA Mind Vol. 32 No. 6 (November 2021), p. 7
2. Obsessive behavior: 10 ways to cope with OCD, Updated January 9, 2024 by BetterHelp Editorial Team, Medically reviewed by Majesty Purvis, LCMHC.
3. Hirschtritt ME, Bloch MH, Mathews CA. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment. JAMA. 2017;317(13):1358–1367. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.2200
4. How to Manage OCD: 6 Ways, PsychCentral, Medically reviewed by Karin Gepp, PsyD — By Traci Pedersen — Updated on September 17, 2021
5. Carmi, L., Tendler, A., Bystritsky, A., Hollander, E., Blumberger, D. M., Daskalakis, J., Ward, H., Lapidus, K., Goodman, W., Casuto, L., Feifel, D., Barnea-Ygael, N., Roth, Y., Zangen, A., & Zohar, J. (2019, November 1). Efficacy and Safety of Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Prospective Multicenter Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 176(11), 931–938. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.18101180
6. O’Neill J, Feusner JD. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: access to treatment, prediction of long-term outcome with neuroimaging. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2015 Jul 20;8:211-23. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S75106. PMID: 26229514; PMCID: PMC4516342.
7. Vakili Y, Gharraee B. The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy in treating a case of obsessive compulsive disorder. Iran J Psychiatry. 2014 Apr;9(2):115-7. PMID: 25632289; PMCID: PMC4300464.
8. Hezel DM, Simpson HB. Exposure and response prevention for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A review and new directions. Indian J Psychiatry. 2019 Jan;61(Suppl 1):S85-S92. doi: 10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_516_18. PMID: 30745681; PMCID: PMC6343408.

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