It partly depends on what you’re taking the medications for. Uncomplicated panic disorder without agoraphobia has the highest rate of complete remission. Severe obsessive compulsive disorder, agoraphobia, or social anxiety disorder may require some long term medication to maintain remission. Generalized anxiety without serious depression may respond fully to CBT. […]
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
11 posts
Question: I recently saw a special on deep tissue stimulation for OCD. It worked in this patient. How does deep tissue stimulation work? – Lea Answer: I have not seen anything about that. However, I recommend the Brain Lock technique to all my OCD patients – preferably to listen to […]
Question: I am 34 years old and a couple of years ago I had an onset of horrible anxiety now diagnosed as OCD (intrusive thoughts). I tried Paxil, with no luck, and was on Zoloft with about 50% control combined with therapy. Two months ago my therapist encouraged me to […]
Question: I am 34 years old and a couple of years ago I had an onset of horrible anxiety now diagnosed as OCD (intrusive thoughts). I tried Paxil, with no luck, and was on Zoloft with about 50% control combined with therapy. Two months ago my therapist encouraged me to […]
Are you sure it’s obsessive compulsive disorder? What if it won’t go away? You better check.? (This is “OCD think.”) Almost everyone has obsessive thoughts, worries too much, dwells too long on something, or has to do a task “just right.” Since most people don’t have OCD, where is the […]
OBSESSIONS • Contamination • Harm • Symmetry • Religious • Sexual • Hoarding • Unwanted Urges COMPULSIONS • Checking • Cleaning/washing • Repeating • Mental Rituals • Ordering • Collecting • Counting
The Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, SSRI’s, remain the number one choice for the treatment of OCD. All people with OCD have some abnormalities of the brain neuromodulator serotonin – some are high and others are low. Some types of OCD are effected by the brain modulators dopamine and/or norepinephrine. Frequently more […]
I always insist that my OCD patients listen to or read Brainlock, by Jeffrey Schwartz. The book not only explains effective cognitive behavioral techniques, but also teaches how to do “self talk.” This helps reduce OCD behavior. Schwartz and his UCLA colleagues also demonstrated that doing these techniques not only […]
Classic OCD starts with a thought, “what if?”. Obsessive thoughts lead to compulsive behaviors. The serotonin system in the brain is overactive. Medications that increase serotonin make OCD worse. Every medicine that significantly helps OCD is a Reuptake Inhibitor of serotonin, or SSRI. When an SSRI is taken initially, (within […]
? OCD is like the brain getting ‘stuck in gear? unable to shift to another thought • 2% to 3% of Americans, or 1 in 50 are affected by OCD • Onset of OCD is usually in adolescence or early adulthood • Studies show a gap of 17 years between […]