“How does psychotherapy work in treating OCD?”

One specific type of psychotherapy is very effective for treatment of OCD. It is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) called exposure and response prevention (ERP). It has been the gold standard treatment for OCD for over 30 years. Other types of psychotherapy that don't include ERP do not work for OCD. Medications can also be quite effective for OCD. The combination of medications and ERP is the most effective treatment, especially when someone has not only OCD but also other disorders, such as depression or other anxiety disorders.

Exposure and response prevention can be helpful.

You should consult a mental health practitioner (psychologist, psychiatrist, or social worker) who is trained in handling OCD.

OCD is treated with behavior therapy: exposure and response prevention. NOT CBT, just BT. Best outcomes are behavior therapy plus medication.

The answer is "sometimes." It depends on your dedication (in my experience it requires at least two sessions/week, and it will not occur overnight) and the knowledge of the therapist. There is also a difference between O/C (we live in an obsessive/compulsive society, brush our teeth every morning, get to work on time, finish our projects on time, etc.) and OCD obsessive compulsive disorder where rituals interfere with functioning. I refer you to the movie "As Good As It Gets."  However, if millions perform a ritual, it is called a superstition like knocking on wood or throwing spilled salt over your left shoulder. These rituals are performed to ward off something bad or dangerous. Therefore, I have always considered OCD a symptom of a severe underlying anxiety of which the sufferer is not readily aware. For example, a woman I treated would ritually turn on and off a light 9 times, not less, not more. She did not know why until she became aware the she was afraid that if she did not perform the ritual, she would accidentally leave the light on and start a fire and burn down the house. This was only one of many "protective" rituals. When she left therapy, she was no longer afraid of being unintentionally destructive and the rituals disappeared. In the movie, my guess is that Jack Nicholson would lock and unlock the door may times to be sure no one would break in and hurt him. "Step on a crack, break you mother's back" is an old saying, so stepping on cracks is considered dangerous.

So, if you have the motivation for long-term therapy and find a therapist who understands the problem and knows how to get you to recognize your fears of destruction, then yes, psychotherapy can be very helpful. I hope this little bit of insight into your problem has been helpful.

Donald A. Moses, MD

The most well-known psychotherapy for OCD is exposure and response prevention therapy. I would recommend talking with a psychotherapist. There are more severe forms which would require medicine along with therapy. Medicine and counseling will decrease the feelings of anxiety and the counseling will help with the behavior. The first-line medicine for OCD would be an antidepressant, which has relatively minor side effects compared to other medications.

Dr. Adhia

Good afternoon,

Psychotherapy can help you identify the unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) which make you uncomfortable, causing you to do an action which will decrease your level of anxiety (the compulsion) of OCD. Once you can identify it, you will be better able to gradually decrease the compulsions, which can hopefully make things easier on those around you.

Best

Psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy, works very well for OCD. Some medications can be useful as well.

Dr. Boksay

Psychotherapy is the best for OCD. It depends on the type of psychotherapist that you see as everyone has different approaches and styles. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable with who you are talking to because you need to open up about things that may be uncomfortable to talk about. You can expect to possibly talk about your past or maybe even given homework to practice other coping skills to control the OCD differently.

Psychotherapy can definitely help if someone is psychologically minded. The particular type of psychotherapy is cognitive behavioral therapy that particularly employs the strategy to focus on response prevention. However, depending on the chronicity and severity of the illness in an individual, some patients may need the concurrent medication, as it is proven that OCD has a big component of biological base - a deficiency of serotonin in a particular part of the brain.

Psychotherapy can help a patient with OCD learn to manage his/her anxiety symptoms better. Therapy can help a patient learn techniques to overcome obsessions (repetitive unwanted thoughts) and compulsions (rituals and repetitive behaviors).