OCD: Understanding and Coping with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Although the term “OCD” has evolved into a slang exaggeration of a person’s tendency toward perfectionism, in reality OCD is a serious psychological disorder with effects that can leave the sufferer crippled during routine activities. The Web hosts a large body of reliable information on the disorder from some of the country’s top nonprofits, hospitals, and professional societies; in this guide we’ll show you how to access it.
Expand All Guide SectionsWhat Is OCD?
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition characterized by intense, unwanted, obsessive ... read more »
OCD Symptoms and Diagnosis
The signs and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder vary among patients. Intense, impulsive ... read more »
Treatment for OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder can be a debilitating condition, but there are several treatment options available, including behavior therapy and medication.
Dulcinea's Insight
- A helpful way to learn of organizations that are actively conducting research into treatments for specific diseases is to add “research” to the name of the disease when using a search engine. The phrase “OCD research” turns up the Stanford University School of Medicine, for example, which has a valuable site dedicated to understanding OCD. Stanford’s site includes an interesting article on the history of OCD treatment.
- Government, hospital, and consumer health Web sites are good sources of unadorned information on health topics; information is presented concisely and straightforwardly. This makes for efficient reading but isn’t exactly the most engaging way to spend your time. It’s not uncommon for news magazines to cover health topics, and when they do, you can expect a much more interesting reading experience. For example, Time magazine’s August 2007 article, “When Worry Hijacks The Brain,” is all about OCD, with a special emphasis on treatment.
Dulcinea's Picks
For overviews …
The American Academy of Family Physicians
has a concise introduction to the medications and types of behavioral therapy used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Psych Central
gives more attention to the specific types of psychotherapy and medications than the previous site does. The highlight is the “Psychotherapy” section, which breaks down behavior and cognitive-behavioral therapies into systematic desensitization, flooding, saturation, and thought-stopping, and describes each.
The Anxiety Disorders Association of America
(ADAA) has a summary of OCD treatments with useful information on choosing a therapist. The ADAA recommends being selective and engaging potential therapists in conversation prior to seeking their services. To aid readers, the site provides a list of questions worth asking any prospective therapist.
For medication …
The Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation
has extensive information on medication for both adults and children. This electronic pamphlet, written by the Chairman of the OC Foundation Scientific Advisory Board (and also a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School), is set up in a question-and-answer format with the intention of covering all medication-related questions a reader might have. “What kinds of medications may help OCD?” and “Which drugs help OCD and how do we know these drugs are effective?” are two examples. There’s also a children’s version, which has the same Q&A format.
For clinical trials …
ClinicalTrials.gov
, a clearinghouse operated by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, provides a list of research clinical trials currently underway to test experimental treatments for bipolar disorder. To learn more about clinical trials, speak to your doctor and read the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s guide.
OCD Support
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an isolating condition, but the support of others who have ... read more »
News and Research on OCD
Reading news and following research efforts is a good way to stay abreast of the latest findings ... read more »
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