OCD treatment in Surat & online

OCD has two parts. Obsessions are unwanted thoughts, images or urges that pop into the mind again and again and cause intense anxiety, disgust or doubt. Compulsions are the things a person does — physically or in their head — to reduce that distress or prevent something bad from happening.

Compulsions bring short-term relief, which teaches the brain to repeat them. Over time the rituals take more and more time — often hours a day — and the obsessions grow stronger. Most people with OCD know their fears are excessive, which makes the condition especially frustrating and isolating.

Some people have mostly mental compulsions — reviewing, counting, praying or arguing with thoughts — sometimes called “pure O”. It is still OCD and responds to the same treatment.

• Brain circuits — differences in the circuits linking the front of the brain with deeper structures that control habits and error-detection.
• Genes — OCD often runs in families.
• Learning — compulsions reduce anxiety for a moment, so the brain learns to repeat them.
• Stress and life changes — exams, a new baby, illness or loss can bring on or worsen symptoms.

OCD is not caused by bad parenting or weak willpower, and having intrusive thoughts does not mean you secretly want to act on them.

• Thoughts or rituals take more than an hour a day
• You avoid places, people or objects because of fears
• Family members are drawn into rituals or reassurance
• Studies, work or relationships are suffering
• You feel low or hopeless because of the symptoms
• Symptoms began suddenly in a child

The psychiatrist will assess the type and severity of OCD (often using the Y-BOCS scale), check for depression, anxiety or tics, and plan treatment with you.

Exposure and response prevention (ERP)

ERP is the most effective psychological treatment for OCD. With your therapist you build a ladder of feared situations, then face them step by step without doing the compulsion. The anxiety rises and then falls by itself, and the brain learns that the feared outcome does not happen. It is challenging, but it works — and you control the pace. Learn about psychotherapy at the clinic.

Medicines

SSRIs (such as fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline and escitalopram) and clomipramine reduce the intensity of obsessions. OCD often needs higher doses than depression, and the full effect can take 8–12 weeks. When OCD does not respond enough, psychiatrists may add an augmenting medicine.

Family involvement

Families often help with rituals or give reassurance out of love — but this keeps OCD going. Part of treatment is guiding family members on how to support recovery without “feeding” the OCD.