Now that you know more about available treatment and management options for obsessive-compulsive disorder, let’s talk a bit about what happens if you leave your OCD untreated and unmanaged.

It’s not a pretty picture, folks.

When ignored, OCD can:

• Make you feel like a prisoner. Your OCD may be germ-related, and if you don’t treat it leaving your house and entering the outside world – which is covered with germs – may feel impossible. Or, your OCD may be revolve around unsettling worries and harmful images, so you may isolate your loved ones to prevent those worries and images from becoming realities.
• Lead to alcohol or drug addiction. If you turn to substances to cope with your untreated OCD symptoms, you run the risk of becoming addicted to the substances. Not only does substance abuse not work, but it also adds another problem in your life.
• Physical health problems, such as irritated skin from frequently washing, bald spots from pulling your hair, weight gain or loss, heart problems, etc. Really, the list could go on and on.
• Lead to suicidal thoughts. Your OCD symptoms could become so bothersome and could cause so much stress that suicide may seem like the only relief. For the record, it is not. Suicide is always the wrong answer.

Honestly. Who has time and energy to deal with all these extra complications? If you have OCD, do you really want to have to deal with bald spots and drug addiction, too? No. Take the bull by the horns. Talk with a doctor, and once the two of you work out a treatment plan, stick with it.

Stay tuned, because tomorrow we’re wrapping up I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries with a list of celebrities and other famous people who had/have obsessive-compulsive disorder. Don’t you just love digging around in other people’s brains?

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Post from: Blisstree

Untreated OCD Leads To Severe Complications

Once you’ve been properly diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, there are three main categories of treatment and management options for you: psychotherapy, medications, and self-care.

Psychotherapy

The Mayo Clinic gives a great, thorough definition of psychotherapy.

In short, psychotherapy is effective for both children and adults, and the form of psychotherapy called “cognitive behavior therapy” is generally used for treating and managing OCD. If your doctor suggests cognitive behavior therapy, you may engage in activities designed to help you retrain your current routines and thought patterns in order to squash compulsive behaviors, i.e. make them no longer necessary.

Medications

Of course, you knew medication was going to be an OCD treatment and management option. Drugs that have been approved by the FDA (and are heavily of the antidepressant persuasion) are commonly prescribed to folks with OCD; however, some doctors also recommend other types of medications – even those that aren’t yet FDA-approved.

In the end, and as it always is with medications, it’s up to both you and your doctor to determine which medication – if any – is right for you. On a personal note, I noticed that my OCD symptoms dramatically decreased (if not outright disappeared) when I took antidepressants. I just didn’t seem to care as much anymore about the things – the obsessions – that caused my compulsive behavior. However, I didn’t seem to care as much about anything else, either, so…

Self-Care

Self-care is an important part of any mental health treatment and management plan. Without taking care of yourself, the chances of therapy and medication working – regardless of the combination – are slim.

Your doctor will undoubtedly discuss with you ways you can better take care of yourself and help managed your OCD. Below are a few suggestions to give you an idea:

• Stick with the treatment plan you and your doctor have developed. This includes properly taking your medications and keeping your doctor informed about their effectiveness and any side effects.
• Learn as much as you can about OCD. Knowledge is power, my friends. Getting an upper hand on the disorder helps you better recognize and manage your symptoms – not to mention falling prey to stigma and stereotypes.
• Surround your self with support. Family members, friends, and support groups are important to help you manage any mental illness. And, when it comes to your family members and friends, it really helps if they understand the disorder, so don’t be afraid to educate them.
• Don’t use drugs or alcohol as coping methods. They don’t work, period. Sure, they may make you forget your problems, but it’s temporary amnesia. Your problems won’t go away, and you’ll always end up remembering them. Sooner or later you’ll need more and more alcohol or drugs to get the same numbing effect and, before you know it, you’ll have an addiction to add on to your list of troubles. Just say no people!
• Finally, try not to isolate yourself. You may prefer to run solo, but honestly, being in the company of others every now and then – even if it’s just on the phone – really does help.

Have any of these OCD treatment and management options worked for you? Have any of them not? Share your stories in the comments, and stay tuned for information about complications that arise when OCD is left untreated and unmanaged.

Image credit: Dani Simmonds.

Post from: Blisstree

Treatment And Management Options For OCD