“It has been quite a year,” is likely an understatement for most of us. But spring is around the corner, and I am feeling hopeful for the days ahead. I hope you are too.
Speaking of hope, there is so much hope for those who are suffering with OCD. While the pandemic has wreaked havoc on all of our lives, many people with OCD have had a particularly difficult time. I know, just from emails I’ve received, that a lot of people dealing with the disorder have experienced some very dark days.
So where is this hope? For all of us, there appears to be a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. And for those with OCD, additional hope comes in the form of exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, the evidence-based, gold standard therapy used to treat OCD.
As I have said many times, one of the most difficult aspects of dealing with OCD is finding a qualified therapist – an expert an ERP therapy. This problem has gotten a little easier to solve, thanks to nocd, which I have written about before.
Check out their website to find a qualified therapist as well as a wealth of information about OCD. Also, I’ve recently written a blog post for them if you’d like to read it.
In keeping with our theme of hope, I’d like to end this post with the last paragraph of my nocd post:
About a year ago, Dan told me he signed up for an OCD research study at a teaching hospital to earn a little extra money. He completed all the paperwork and testing, but was rejected for the study. Why? Clinically, he did not meet the criteria for having OCD. What a testament to my son’s courage and determination to beat this insidious disorder, with the help of ERP therapy.
If he can do it, you can too!
ocdtalk 
Thank you
Sent from the all new Aol app for iOS
You’re welcome, Jacqui.
Thank you Janet for this post. I just finished reading “When a Family Member has OCD” by Jon Hershfield and I found it interesting and helpful.
You’re welcome Patricia. Yes, “When a Family Member has OCD” is a great book!
My adult son is treatment resistant with most medications. He takes Anafranil, 200mg for his severe contamination OCD. He is so afraid of starting ERP. How can he become less fearful of it? Because it takes commitment, he feels he won’t be motivated to commit. Can you comment?
Hi Jane, I’m sorry your son is having a difficult time. I am not a therapist, and I don’t know what medication or dosages he has been on aside from the Anafranil, but I do know dosages for OCD treatment are typically higher than for other disorders and it can sometimes take 12-16 weeks on a medication before noticing improvement. Hopefully he has a psychiatrist who is knowledgeable about medications and dosages for OCD.
ERP can be helpful whether he is on medication or not. I would strongly advise he connect with an OCD specialist who can help him start slowly and work with him regarding his fears. ERP is tough, but not as tough as living a life dictated by OCD.
I don’t know if you son lives with you or what his family situation is, but the other thing I would suggest is that those close to him also meet with an OCD therapist to work on not enabling him (we all do it!) When we make life “easier” for those with OCD (through accommodating them) it decreases their motivation for treatment.
I hope some of these suggestions have been helpful. Good luck as you all move forward and please keep me posted.