posted September 17, 2005 06:23 AM         

I saw a prog on sky tv where Paul McKenna the hypnotist worked with peoole with similar disorders,,,,he had a very high success rate.....I think he has a website somewhere?

Love

posted September 21, 2005 08:50 PM         

OCD may be a neurological condition although it is often coded as a Personality Disorder. It'll probably be clinically reclassified in the near future, as it seems to be more closely related to neurological conditions like autism, ADHD and dyslexia, rather than other PDs. It seems that people with OCD often have another comorbid condition, usually a learning disorder like dyslexia.

There are different mediations that have helped control compulsive thinking and behaviors, reduce anxiety and stablize erratic moods. This can include SSRIs (a type of antidepressant - these have been very successful with reducing anxiety and obsessive thinking), anticonvulsants (these often stablize mood and decrease compulsions) and in more severe cases antipsychotic medication. Unfortunately, all meds have the risk of side effects, but at least with most OCD cases, teh individual responses very well to lower-risk meds like SSRIs, so sidee effects are kept to a minimum (it's been my experiences that SSRIs actually work better for OCD and with fewer sidee effects than for depression, for which they were originally designed).

But medications alone do not help an OCD sufferer in fully regaining a functioning life. Behavior awareness and modification therapy is often needed, to make the individual aware of their own OCD behaviors, what triggers them and how to avoid or reduce those triggers in the day to day. Therapy will also be needed to help support the individual in their medication regime. In the best case scenerio, the individual can eventually wean themselves off medication once they have undergone enough therapy and beeahvior modification, although some cases, medication may be needed for a much longer duration.

Many OCD sufferers have little to no awareness of just how disruptive their OC behavior has been in their lives before they get help, because there is deep shame that often comes with this illness that makes the sufferers unable to be very objective. Because of the shame, they often hide their OC behaviors from others to avoid discovery or confrontation, and engage in raionalization and denial. Along with shame, rationalization and denial, they can develop other emotional issues which therapy can be helpful with as well.

I do not know of any alternative methods that really work well for OCD on their own. Herbal regimes and meditation exercises can help reduce anxiety and improve overall health so the body and mind are less vulnerable to OCD triggers, but do not seem to work once the individual begins experiencing an episode of obsessive thinking or complusive activity (example: if someone is already engaging in compuslive handwashing, giving them a cup of herbal tea isn't goign to help them stop). Accupuncture seems to be very successful in sufferers who are already aware of their own OC behavior and have undergone some form of behavior modification, and it shows much promise as an long-term alternative to medication, as long as it is use in conjunction with conventional non-medication therapy.