Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Realized: A Look at Manifested Obsessions
In the heart of a small town, a woman named Kathy grapples with a daily battle against Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Her particular struggle revolves around a compulsion to wash her hands, driven by a fear of falling ill and unintentionally spreading illness to her beloved children.
OCD is a disorder that torments its victims with disturbing obsessions and compulsions, which are aimed at alleviating anxiety. For Kathy, this means an unending cycle of hand-washing, a common compulsion for those afflicted by OCD. However, this cycle often leads to a vicious loss of control, a paradoxical consequence of actions meant to gain control.
Enter ERP therapy, an evidence-based treatment recommended by the American Psychological Association (APA) for OCD. ERP therapy is not about proving that everything will be fine if one does not engage in compulsions, but rather it is a means to help individuals learn to stand up to fear and anxiety.
The therapy requires facing fears and refraining from engaging in compulsions, such as not hand-washing in Kathy's case. This can be anxiety-provoking, but the payoff is significant. Through ERP therapy, Kathy learns to live with the uncertainty of life, a challenge that OCD often presents due to the need for certainty and control.
It's important to note that not all therapists are properly trained in ERP therapy. Some may unintentionally reassure their patients that "nothing bad will happen," a counter-productive approach as one of the main goals of ERP therapy is to learn to live with uncertainty.
ERP therapy is not about eliminating fear and anxiety, but rather about helping individuals learn to cope with them and not let them control their lives. This is a valuable lesson, as we all face good times and bad, and it's crucial to be able to cope with them.
Those with OCD who have successfully undergone treatment, like Kathy, often find they can cope with bad times as well as those who do not have OCD. Good things happen and bad things happen, and with the right tools, like ERP therapy, we can learn to stand up to our fears and anxieties and live our lives to the fullest.
