Preventive Therapy for OCD?

The postpartum period is sometimes accompanied by anxiety, depression, and even obsessive-compulsive disorder. Studies on preventive therapy for postpartum OCD have shown promising results. What a great idea! Stop OCD in its tracks before it has a chance to latch on to people and wreak havoc in their lives. But why limit this preventive therapy to women who have just given birth? We know that obsessive-compulsive disorder sometimes runs in families. We know that there are often subtle signs of OCD before it becomes full-blown. We know that OCD involves anxiety and is often seen with co-existing conditions such as depression, social phobia, and Tourette syndrome, to name just a few. Given the fact that we know all this, shouldn’t we be able to identify an at-risk population for developing OCD? And once we are able to identify this at-risk population, why can’t we offer these people Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as soon as possible? Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy, specifically, is the first-line psychological treatment for OCD as recommended by the American Psychological Association. When done correctly with committed individuals, it significantly reduces the severity of symptoms in those with OCD. And while we’re at it, why not offer Cognitive Behavioral Therapy classes in schools as part of a health and wellness curriculum? And in the workplace as well? The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that over twenty-five percent of teen...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Antidepressants Caregivers Children and Teens Cognitive-Behavioral Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Psychology Anxiety Cognitive Behavior Therapy Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Source Type: news