Behavioural Therapires
CBT is the most common form of therapy for OCD.
This video has a good summary of what CBT is :
Exposure Response Prevention is a form of CBT which is commonly used for OCD. With Exposure and Response Prevention, a mental health professional trained in CBT conducts a series of controlled ERP sessions with the patient who has OCD. During these sessions, the therapist gradually exposes the person to the situations that trigger his or her obsessions and compulsions. Over time, the person learns to respond differently to these triggers, leading to a decrease in the frequency of compulsions and the intensity of obsessions. OCD symptoms often become so mild that they’re easily ignored; sometimes they disappear.(source)
A good video summarising ERP :
Cognitive Therapy is also commonly used as a therapy for OCD treatment. Cognitive Therapy, the second technique involved in CBT, helps an individual identify and modify patterns of thought that cause anxiety, distress or negative behaviour. In other words, CT helps patients understand that the brain is sending “error” messages. Through Cognitive Therapy, the person learns to recognise these errors and confront the obsessions by responding to them in new ways.(source)
- Before efficacy of any mode of therapy is determined, and it is essential that it is tried for minimum amount of sessions as recommended by the psychologist/therapist
- Typically 13-20 weekly sessions are recommended for treatment of OCD, though the actual vary case by case. Periodic booster session , every 3 or 6 months are also recommended after the initial group of sessions.
- There is a wide range of research spanning more than 40 years that highlights the efficacy of CBT for treatment of OCD (source). Also, CBT is commonly referred to as the most successful form of treatment for OCD
- CBT is often combined with medication