People with OCD have intrusive and repeated thoughts on topics that can vary from person to person. Many of these thoughts include fears based in contamination, violence, religion and sexual acts among others. In order for a person to reduce the anxiety surrounding the obsessional thoughts, an individual will perform rituals (both mental and in actions) again and again. These obsessions feel dramatically uncharacteristic to the person and often times make no sense to themselves and others. Yet despite these insights, the rituals persist and feel beyond their control.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that has been shown to be highly effective for OCD. The goal of CBT is two-fold: to change thoughts and behaviors. The cognitive portion involves the identification and analysis of unhelpful and unrealistic thoughts, which are then challenged. In the behavioral portion, the therapist and client work together to change the compulsive behaviors. This typically includes techniques such as Exposure and Response Prevention, also called Exposure and Ritual Prevention (ERP). In the exposure piece of the treatment, patients repeatedly expose themselves to their fears. By facing their obsessions in a systematic order, without performing compulsions, the person learns that there is nothing to fear and the obsessions begin to fade away.