The treatment guide below outlines the first, second, and third-line treatment approaches available to those impacted by OCD. It also outlines adjunctive treatments that can be incorporated to help improve… Read more »
Article: Adjunctive Treatments: SPACE – Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions
Explains SPACE, a parent-based treatment for children and adolescents with OCD and anxiety. Rather than requiring the child to attend therapy, SPACE helps parents respond supportively while reducing accommodation of… Read more »
Article: Ineffective and Potentially Harmful Psychological Interventions for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Reviews psychological treatments that lack adequate evidence for OCD or may actually worsen symptoms. Examples include thought-stopping and relaxation-based approaches. The article explains why inappropriate treatment can reinforce compulsions, increase… Read more »
Article: Medication for Pediatric OCD
Provides detailed guidance on medication treatment for children and adolescents with OCD. It discusses SSRIs and clomipramine, dosing and titration, treatment duration, side effects, safety considerations, and medication sequencing. It… Read more »
Article: Medication Treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Adults
Reviews medication options for OCD, emphasizing SSRIs and clomipramine as evidence-based treatments. It discusses expected response, adequate medication trials, dosing considerations, duration of treatment, switching or augmenting medications, and combining… Read more »
Article: Adjunctive Treatments: Mindfulness-Based Therapy for OCD
Describes mindfulness-based therapy as an approach that helps people change their relationship with intrusive thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations rather than trying to eliminate them. It incorporates mindfulness with CBT/ERP… Read more »
Article: Adjunctive Treatments: Use of DBT in OCD Treatment
Explains how Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills can complement ERP by helping people manage difficult emotions, distress, relationships, and urges to engage in compulsions. DBT is not presented as a… Read more »
Article: Adjunctive Treatments: Cognitive Therapy For OCD
Describes cognitive therapy for OCD, which focuses on identifying and challenging exaggerated beliefs and distorted interpretations that contribute to obsessional fear and compulsions. Treatment may include cognitive restructuring and behavioral… Read more »
Article: Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy
Explains ERP, the leading evidence-based psychological treatment for OCD. It describes how individuals gradually confront feared situations, thoughts, or sensations while resisting compulsions and avoidance. The resource explains treatment planning,… Read more »
Handout: Trichotillomania Fact Sheet
Explains trichotillomania, or hair-pulling disorder, as recurrent hair pulling that can cause noticeable hair loss, distress, and functional impairment. It describes urges and tension surrounding pulling, common pulling locations and… Read more »