Hi all, I’m newly diagnosed with OCD, and the path to treatment seems kinda overwhelming. For those taking meds, how do you know when they are working? What should I expect in ERP therapy (or other forms of CBT)? Thanks!
Hi there! Thank you for reaching out, and welcome! I understand feeling overwhelmed. There's a lot of unknown and uncertainty in the process. I myself tried some meds before therapy, and I unfortunately didn't see the best results, but I know they work great for a lot of people. From what I hear though, overall your mood can improve, and you may "feel better", as a whole. Sometimes meds can lessen intrusive thoughts as well, but unfortunately there is not currently a medication specifically aimed at OCD. ERP therapy is very different than general talk therapy - in the best way! It is exercise-based, versus talk-based. ERP is the most effective therapy for OCD. The goal is to trigger your OCD, and learn how to resist any compulsions while doing so - if successful with this over time, all OCD symptoms can decrease overall, and your usual triggers can become meaningless. To be honest, it is not easy, but living with OCD untreated is also not easy - that's how I've always looked at it. During therapy I had good days and bad days, and "okay" days in between. When doing ERP, you are essentially working to create a new pattern with your thoughts. OCD has created it's own toxic pattern, and you are working to break that. Because of that, it's easy to go back and forth between the old pattern and the newly created one when you're working through ERP. But as you continue to push for the new, it can begin to stick, and the old pattern can subside. Are you currently in therapy, or thinking of starting?
Hi everyone, I’m new to the community. I was diagnosed with OCD just a couple of months ago and have been doing some reading and other research to try and understand the disorder. With this, I have been actively seeing a great therapist who has been helpful to build tools to deal with my intrusive thoughts ( contamination OCD is my worst theme). Do help learn to deal with the compulsions, I start on Sertraline or “Zoloft” I believe since November 2024. Currently I’m on 50mg and have been doing this for just over a month. My question for those who are also taking Sertraline and it has been successful, how do you know it has really provided a benefit and how long did it take to get there? I sometimes feel the medication works, and sometimes I feel it doesn’t (maybe that’s my OCD trying to mess with things). Thanks!
I understand that everyone is different but lately I have been debating on medication just because of past experiences but does anyone have any good experiences with medication that has helped them with their OCD as well as therapy or treatment? As of now I’m dealing with it by myself but it feels like it may be getting worse
Has anyone had success treating their OCD without medication and solely ERP or non-medicinal methods. I have pretty severe OCD and just about every sub-type, but I’ve been on various meds (SSRI & SNRIs) for going on 8 years and have never found one that truly relieves me of symptoms. I’m looking to see if it’s worth continuing with the side effects I experience (mostly mild) or if there are alternatives that could work for me. Low key tired of constantly changing meds in an attempt to find something that works when maybe medicine isn’t the route for me…
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