The short answer is, unfortunately, that OCD is not curable. But Jeff Bell, my co-author for the Beyond the Doubt blog, and I can tell you for certain — and there's not much we're certain about, as people with OCD — that you can still live a great life, even with the disorder.
Is a Future Cure Possible? Ongoing research in the area of OCD means that there is possibility for new OCD treatments in the future. While a singular or simple cure for OCD is unlikely, there are many treatment options that can be used on their own or in combination to reduce or even eliminate the symptoms of OCD.
Exposure Response Prevention Therapy (ERP) is extremely helpful in treating OCD. Therapy is difficult, but with the right resources, there is hope.
OCD is chronic
You can get it under control and become recovered but, at the present time, there is no cure. It is a potential that will always be there in the background, even if it is no longer affecting your life.
In a small pilot study, patients with OCD received a low dose of ketamine or saline via infusion. Those who received the ketamine reported a rapid decrease in OCD symptoms compared to those who received saline. One patient who received ketamine felt he had a vacation from his symptoms.
However, with proper treatment, 10% of people with OCD experience full recovery and 50% experience a marked improvement in symptoms. For those with mild OCD symptoms or those who are averse to taking medicine, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to help reduce symptoms.
Anafranil has been around the longest and is the best-studied OCD medication. There is growing evidence that the other drugs are as effective. In addition to these carefully studied drugs, there are hundreds of case reports of other drugs being helpful.
Primarily obsessional OCD has been called "one of the most distressing and challenging forms of OCD." People with this form of OCD have "distressing and unwanted thoughts pop into [their] head frequently," and the thoughts "typically center on a fear that you may do something totally uncharacteristic of yourself, ...
We don't know for sure what causes OCD, but your family history, psychology, environment, and the way your body works could all play a role. Personality traits like perfectionism may put a person at risk of developing OCD. Stressful life events and psychological trauma may also play a role.
Once a mental health problem becomes severe enough that it has a significant impact on your life, it is then considered to be a psychosocial disability. Mental health diagnoses that can potentially fall into the category of psychosocial disability may include: Bipolar disorder. Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In the long term, living with OCD can be tiring — especially if you're trying to hide it from family, friends, and coworkers — and frustrating if it prevents you from partaking in and enjoying everyday activities. For some, the anxiety and upset can snowball into panic attacks.
“OCD symptoms can intensify during times of stress or when you feel like life is getting out of control.” People with OCD regularly experience extreme, yet unnecessary, worry. Obsessive and uncontrollable thoughts can interfere with life to the point of serious disruption.
Although new research is always sharpening our understanding of the brain, nobody knows exactly what causes OCD. And there's no way to create a precise cure when we don't know a precise cause. It's exciting to watch a bunch of hypotheses emerge, but it's also helpful to remember where we are now.
On one hand, OCD has been found to have a biological basis with abnormalities in the brain structure and function. This makes it a lifelong disorder that cannot be cured with surgery. On the other hand, some people do get better over time and their symptoms disappear completely or almost completely.
Nothing ever stays the same forever, and OCD is no different. People sometimes refer to it as a shapeshifter, often switching from theme to theme. While OCD is considered chronic, OCD symptoms also come and go, sometimes seemingly disappearing for months or years at a time.
An estimated 1.2% of U.S. adults had OCD in the past year.
Harm OCD. Harm OCD causes people to be deeply disturbed by the violent thoughts that just about everyone has experienced. While most people are able to shrug off these thoughts, those with harm OCD can become completely overwhelmed by them.
Symptoms fluctuate in severity from time to time, and this fluctuation may be related to the occurrence of stressful events. Because symptoms usually worsen with age, people may have difficulty remembering when OCD began, but can sometimes recall when they first noticed that the symptoms were disrupting their lives.
OCD has peaks of onset at two different life phases: pre-adolescence and early adulthood. Around the ages of 10 to 12 years, the first peak of OCD cases occur. This time frequently coincides with increasing school and performance pressures, in addition to biologic changes of brain and body that accompany puberty.
But while OCD doesn't necessarily cause schizophrenia, it can come with higher chances of experiencing it than people without OCD. A sudden onset of OCD symptoms may also be connected to the development of conditions involving psychosis, like schizophrenia.
In this nationwide prospective cohort study, the risk of premature death among persons with OCD was doubled compared with the general population.
Sertraline. Sertraline(Zoloft) can be used to treat OCD as well as depression, panic disorder, PTSD, social anxiety disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Sertraline is taken once daily and can treat OCD in adults and children 6 years and older.
However, SSRIs like paroxetine and fluoxetine are often recommended first because they are considered safe and effective with a low risk for serious side effects.