From Steven Seay, Ph.D.'s website, at least one antibiotic may work along with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to help with OCD.
Quote:
http://www.steveseay.com/ocd-d-cycloser ... treatment/' . . .
Research on D-cycloserine in OCD treatment is still a work-in-progress, so it’s important to maintain some healthy skepticism on this issue.'Research studies looking at using D-cycloserine to treat OCD have been fairly limited, and the results of these studies have been mixed. Some studies have suggested that the medication has small or non-significant effects, whereas other studies have found the medication to be beneficial. Several recent, placebo-controlled studies have been quite promising and have indicated that taking seromycin can initially “speed up” the therapeutic response to exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP), a form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) developed to treat OCD. In essence, you benefit more from initial ERP therapy sessions. D-cycloserine doesn’t appear to have any effects on OCD when taken on its own (i.e., when not combined with exposure and response prevention). Read more about how ERP is thought to work.
'It’s important to note that D-cycloserine doesn’t appear to offer any long-term benefits above and beyond what you would get from ERP alone. In the end, you’re likely to achieve the same amount of symptomatic improvement whether or not you take the medication. However, the research indicates that you’re likely to get more “bang for your buck” if you’re taking Seromycin during early exposure sessions. This is important, because it reduces early treatment frustration and drop out.'
1) When I was struggling with OCD at ages 16, 17, and 18, my parents tried certain versions of Exposure Response Prevention on their own. This was not exactly a huge success.
2) A lot of my OCD was health 'precautions.' I later learned on my own that if I could get to the zen place where it was okay to do the precaution and also okay not to do it, that was actually a pretty good place to be. It may have also helped if someone had been present who could have given me permission not to do the precaution and they wouldn't blame me if the bad thing happened, for bad things do sometimes happen.
Anyway, I think I would have done a lot better with a psychologist who took a light touch, rather than a heavy, ponderous touch.
14 Dec 2013, 5:06 pm
