Servicing the Greater Toronto Area In Person and Virtual
OCD Treatment: ERP and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that can impact individuals of various ages, religious and cultural backgrounds, and socioeconomic groups. OCD involves a relentless cycle of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions manifest as intrusive thoughts, images, feelings, or urges that are unwanted and persistently recur, leading to significant negative and uncomfortable emotions. In response, compulsions are repeated behaviors that individuals engage in to alleviate the intense distress caused by these obsessions.
In everyday conversations, the term OCD is often misused, with people casually describing themselves or others as 'so OCD' regarding various behaviors. For instance, someone might say, 'I’m so OCD about being on time' or 'I’m obsessed with wearing the latest fashion trends.' However, this trivialization overlooks the reality of OCD, which is not limited to any one specific subtype. Many mistakenly believe that OCD is only about handwashing, thinking, 'OCD, isn’t that the thing when people like to wash their hands a lot?' Those who experience OCD, along with their families and professionals who support them, understand that there is nothing positive about this disorder, which encompasses multiple types of OCD.
The most effective and evidence-based treatment for OCD is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), particularly emphasizing Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), a method I am trained in. ERP enables individuals with OCD to confront their obsessions in a safe therapeutic setting while resisting the urge to engage in compulsions. In therapy, we collaborate to face each fear gradually and systematically. This process helps individuals experience a gradual reduction in the anguish caused by their obsessions and a decreased compulsion to act on them.