Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) can be treated. The treatment recommended will depend on how much it’s affecting your life.
The 2 main treatments are:
- talking therapy – usually a type of therapy that helps you face your fears and obsessive thoughts without “putting them right” with compulsions
- medicine – usually a type of antidepressant medicine that can help by altering the balance of chemicals in your brain
A short course of therapy is usually recommended for relatively mild OCD. If you have more severe OCD, you may need a longer course of combined therapy and medicine.
OCD
Alcohol Addiction
Types of Treatment
Behavioral Treatments
Behavioral treatments are aimed at changing drinking behavior through counseling. They are led by health professionals and supported by studies showing they can be beneficial.
Medications
Three medications are currently approved in the United States to help people stop or reduce their drinking and prevent relapse. They are prescribed by a primary care physician or other health professional and may be used alone or in combination with counseling.
Mutual-Support Groups
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other 12-step programs provide peer support for people quitting or cutting back on their drinking. Combined with treatment led by health professionals, mutual-support groups can offer a valuable added layer of support.
Due to the anonymous nature of mutual-support groups, it is difficult for researchers to determine their success rates compared with those led by health professionals.
Treatment options for bipolar disorder
If a person is not treated, episodes of bipolar-related mania can last for between 3 and 6 months.
Episodes of depression tend to last longer, often 6 to 12 months.
But with effective treatment, episodes usually improve.
Most people with bipolar disorder can be treated using a combination of different treatments.
These can include 1 or more of the following:
- medicine to prevent episodes of mania and depression – these are known as mood stabilisers, and you take them every day on a long-term basis
- medicine to treat the main symptoms of depression and mania when they happen
- learning to recognise the triggers and signs of an episode of depression or mania
- psychological treatment – such as talking therapies, which help you deal with depression and provide advice on how to improve relationships
- lifestyle advice – such as doing regular exercise, planning activities you enjoy that give you a sense of achievement, and advice on improving your diet and getting more sleep
Bipolar Disorder
Personality Disorder
Treatment for PD usually involves some type of psychological therapy, also known as psychotherapy. There are lots of different types of psychotherapy, but they all involve taking time to help you get a better understanding of how you think and feel.
As well as listening and discussing important issues with you, the psychotherapist can suggest ways to resolve problems and, if necessary, help you change your attitudes and behaviour. Therapy for PD aims to help people get a better sense of control over their thoughts and feelings.
Psychotherapy for PD should only be delivered by a trained professional. They’ll usually be a psychiatrist, psychologist or other trained mental health professional. Do not be afraid to ask about their experience.
Treatment
Although there’s no cure for drug addiction, treatment options can help you overcome an addiction and stay drug-free. Your treatment depends on the drug used and any related medical or mental health disorders you may have. Long-term follow-up is important to prevent relapse.
Treatment programs
Treatment programs for substance use disorder usually offer:
- Individual, group or family therapy sessions
- A focus on understanding the nature of addiction, becoming drug-free and preventing relapse
- Levels of care and settings that vary depending on your needs, such as outpatient, residential and inpatient programs
- Withdrawal Therapy
- Behavior Therapy
- Self Help groups
- Medicine as part of Treatment.
Drug Addiction
SCHIZOPHRENIA
Schizophrenia is usually treated with an individually tailored combination of talking therapy and medicine. Most people with schizophrenia are treated by community mental health teams. The goal is to provide day-to-day support and treatment while ensuring you have as much independence as possible.
Treating compulsive gambling can be challenging. That’s partly because most people have a hard time admitting they have a problem. Yet a major part of treatment is working on acknowledging that you’re a compulsive gambler.
If your family or your employer pressured you into therapy, you may find yourself resisting treatment. But treating a gambling problem can help you regain a sense of control — and possibly help heal damaged relationships or finances.
Gambling Disorder
Chronic Pain Disorder
Management of chronic pain in patients with multiple problems is complex, usually requiring specific treatment, simultaneous psychological treatment, and physical therapy (PT).
Psychotherapy
Also known as talk therapy or psychological counseling, psychotherapy involves working with a therapist to reduce your anxiety symptoms. It can be an effective treatment for anxiety.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective form of psychotherapy for anxiety disorders. Generally a short-term treatment, CBT focuses on teaching you specific skills to improve your symptoms and gradually return to the activities you’ve avoided because of anxiety.
CBT includes exposure therapy, in which you gradually encounter the object or situation that triggers your anxiety so you build confidence that you can manage the situation and anxiety symptoms.
Medications
Several types of medications are used to help relieve symptoms, depending on the type of anxiety disorder you have and whether you also have other mental or physical health issues. For example:
- Certain antidepressants are also used to treat anxiety disorders.
- An anti-anxiety medication called buspirone may be prescribed.
- In limited circumstances, your doctor may prescribe other types of medications, such as sedatives, also called benzodiazepines, or beta blockers. These medications are for short-term relief of anxiety symptoms and are not intended to be used long term.
Anxiety Disorder
Smoking Addiction
If you want to stop smoking, several different treatments are available from shops, pharmacies and on prescription to help you beat your addiction and reduce withdrawal symptoms.
The best treatment for you will depend on your personal preference, your age, whether you’re pregnant or breastfeeding and any medical conditions you have. Speak to your smoking adviser for advice.
Research has shown that all these methods can be effective. Importantly, evidence shows that they are most effective if used alongside support
Dementia
Major Depression
Medications and psychotherapy are effective for most people with depression. Your primary care doctor or psychiatrist can prescribe medications to relieve symptoms. However, many people with depression also benefit from seeing a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health professional.
If you have severe depression, you may need a hospital stay, or you may need to participate in an outpatient treatment program until your symptoms improve.
Dissociative Disorder
Dissociative disorders treatment may vary based on the type of disorder you have, but generally include psychotherapy and medication.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is the primary treatment for dissociative disorders. This form of therapy, also known as talk therapy, counseling or psychosocial therapy, involves talking about your disorder and related issues with a mental health professional. Look for a therapist with advanced training or experience in working with people who have experienced trauma.
Your therapist will work to help you understand the cause of your condition and to form new ways of coping with stressful circumstances. Over time, your therapist may help you talk more about the trauma you experienced, but generally only when you have the coping skills and relationship with your therapist to safely have these conversations.
Medication
Although there are no medications that specifically treat dissociative disorders, your doctor may prescribe antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications or antipsychotic drugs to help control the mental health symptoms associated with dissociative disorders.
Your doctor or mental health professional considers your particular symptoms and circumstances in determining what treatment is likely to work best for you.
Psychotherapy
Complicated grief is often treated with a type of psychotherapy called complicated grief therapy. It’s similar to psychotherapy techniques used for depression and PTSD, but it’s specifically for complicated grief. This treatment can be effective when done individually or in a group format.
During therapy, you may:
- Learn about complicated grief and how it’s treated
- Explore such topics as grief reactions, complicated grief symptoms, adjusting to your loss and redefining your life goals
- Hold imagined conversations with your loved one and retell the circumstances of the death to help you become less distressed by images and thoughts of your loved one
- Explore and process thoughts and emotions
- Improve coping skills
- Reduce feelings of blame and guilt
Other types of psychotherapy can help you address other mental health conditions, such as depression or PTSD, which can occur along with complicated grief.
Medications
There’s little solid research on the use of psychiatric medications to treat complicated grief. However, antidepressants may be helpful in people who have clinical depression as well as complicated grief.
Grief Reaction
