Treatment Options

I don’t know your financial situation, but I know I’m in a bit of a difficult spot because my parents are making me pay for treatment. The first thing I’d say is 50 mg of Zoloft probably isn’t high enough. I went up to 200 mg, and a lot of people go up to that. If Zoloft doesn’t work, then trying Prozac could (I went up to 80 mg of Prozac). For the therapy, I didn’t go through NOCD cause of the cost. I looked at therapy places in my area, and I also did therapy at an ocd specialty center while away at college, and they gave me a reduced rate ($50 per session) because I was paying for it and as a college student, I don’t have tons of money. Medications usually aren’t too costly, and I don’t know all of your situation or if something like $50 per session would be affordable for you, but I would definitely try to find some type of therapy, and if you can’t find therapy or even if you find it, I would try upping Zoloft, and trying Prozac if that didn’t work.

I find that the OCD Stories podcast and the NOCD Wednesday Night webinar can provide some helpful tips on managing OCD. However it does not replace ERP therapy by someone specifically trained in OCD. Sometimes the stigma is the last thing to go. Especially in employment situations. Hope this bit of information helps you!

I just realized I missed the first time I read your post that the insurance doesn’t cover some things. I don’t know your financial situation, and how much things would be out of pocket, but I think that the $50 a session I paid would have been the same with or without insurance. I would look up ocd specialty centers in your area, and if they have a website or you called them, it might give you more information

Sure, self-directed ERP perhaps less than ideal. but in essence, what you do with ERP is learn to sit with the discomfort of uncertainty. without ability to access regular therapy financially, you can also find ERP workbooks, ones that sort of take you through the process of doing it,and you can use speaking on here as support group. now i know you said self-help books, but have you tried specific erp workbooks? i have one, and it does the same thing that therapy, only without a clinician to oversee it. I actually did erp myself for about a year before i got the courage to start therapy. my insurance doesn't cover it either so i am paying completely out of pocket, which isn't feasible for everyone. the workbooks and support groups might help, and honestly, as ERP Is mostly a self-appointed task. after all you have to identify your triggers and learn to sit with them. I will also say, that there isn't a specific medication that can stop or cure OCD, while zoloft and prozac can help with the anxiety and depression symptoms that OCD creates, and therefore alleviate the discomfort, the intrusive thoughts of OCD cannot be stopped by any medication. and in general ERP isn't about stopping the intrusive thoughts, but learning to interrupt the intrusive/compulsion cycle and sitting with the discomfort. which is why ssris can help because it helps alleviate the byproducts of depression and anxiety. However, I also find my intrusive thoughts and rumination cycles are improved by being on adhd medication as well. for me it makes the intrusive worries less sticky and i can move on quicker.

Try out Nathan Peterson’s online OCD course. He is an OCD expert and licensed.