CBT

[Ocdbf062]

Hi everyone, I’m not a person suffering with OCD, but my girlfriend is. And lately she’s been struggling pretty bad, and I guess I just don’t know how to help her and it kills me to see her suffer. The thing is, she really wants to try Cognitive Behavior Therapy and we’ve been doing research. Our issue is that there isn’t a CBT or really much therapy here at all to help where we live and it wouldnt be possible for us to make it to the nearest therapist more than once a week. So my question is, how often do we need to go? Is once every other week to little? How often should she receive CBT in order for it to be effective? Any help is greatly appreciated

[MyOCD123]

Hey there!

I’m sorry to hear your girlfriend is going through this rough patch right now, I know exactly what that feels like and it’s no fun. ERP (exposure response and prevention therapy) is really the only effective way to treat OCD - I believe that might fall under CBT but I’m not 100% certain. Medication can be very helpful in managing symptoms when they are at their worst. I would recommend getting your girlfriend into see her primary care doctor and see if they can either give her anti anxiety medication or refer you to a psychiatrist to prescribe. But more important is the therapy. It’s hard to find someone who specializes in OCD as you mentioned above but the IOCDF.org I believe has resources that can connect you with the closest therapist or psychologist. When my OCD was at its worst I needed to go twice a week but as I recover I’m going down to once a week. However everyone is different and some people require in patient or out patient programs depending on the severity of their OCD. Again all things to discuss with the specialist and I’m sure if you find one (even in they are a little farther away) and explain how serious it is right now they will make an exception to see her sooner. I hope this helps! I’ll be keeping both of you in my thoughts and prayers. Recovery is possible!

[Ocdbf062 in reply to MyOCD123]

Thank you for the info! And we appreciate the support. It’s not so much them seeing us, we’re just hours away from the closest therapist and have full time jobs. Makes it difficult. But we’ll have to do what we can. Even if we can’t make it every week. Thank you

[MyOCD123 in reply to Ocdbf062]

Sometimes that’s all you can do! There are also a couple helpful books out there by Jon Herschfield and also some work books for ERP. Might be something to look into?

[Ocdbf062 in reply to MyOCD123]

Will do, I know we have a few books from David Burns she liked a lot too, if you’re looking for other literature. I’ll look into Jon Herschfield for sure!

[Mydogb]

Hi Ocdbf062 are you in the UK?

[Ocdbf062 in reply to Mydogb]

No I’m in Rural Nevada in the US.

[Mydogb in reply to Ocdbf062]

Do you have to pay for CBT in the US?

[Ocdbf062 in reply to Mydogb]

Yes

[Mydogb in reply to Ocdbf062]

Oh, a didn't no sorry.

[TPebble in reply to Ocdbf062]

Have you looked into teletherapy? I was looking for therapists and found out there is at least an OCD center in Los Angeles that offers it. I don't think they take insurance, but you can try looking and giving them a call to see if they serve Nevada!

[pile_o_neurons]

Hi there,

As noted, most people think a combination of ERP (which is a form of CBT) and medication is the most effective treatment. Of course "most people" can be wrong, but that's the current consensus. If she can only go once a week, go for it! Outpatient therapy is by nature client-directed and has to be on the client's schedule. One time a week is going to be more beneficial than zero times a week.

You might also look into online solutions ... not only online live therapy, but apps, as well. Here are a few options:

iocdf.org/expert-opinions/t...

Follow IOCD and Peace of Mind Foundation on Facebook too ...

Good luck!

[Ocdbf062 in reply to pile_o_neurons]

Awesome! Thank you!

[Hidden in reply to pile_o_neurons]

I just LOVE your name. It always makes me smile.

[pile_o_neurons in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, I'm glad I can give you a smile!

[Fargo-Guy]

Not sure what kind of OCD she has but once a doctor tells here what CBT to try then she just needs to do it. But as a 66 year old man with OCD since 8 I have found that medication is necessary to help. I have read that 85 percent of people benefit from medication. I am on Zoloft . There are several she can try if that does not work. I found CBT did not work with out med. the chemical imbalance In The brain in my opinion causes the disease. I am not a doctor but the chemical balance can do more to help her than a thing. I have a counting or touching habit. I get anxious and might stand minutes or longer touching m a door handle three time or four times or car handle or anything thing at all that helps satisfy the anxiety. I worry and have worried mostly about my health or my families health. Until meds just trying to use CBT to break this habit did not work. The med took the need to touch and thus the anxiety away. It is not perfect but an 85% improvement is a blessing. God bless you for helping her get help. Stat after it. You can live with it and be successful. I lead a successful career and just retired. Most never knew I suffered with OCD.

[mopedmike in reply to Fargo-Guy]

I struggle with My OCD as well I'M in the middle of a bad bout now. I was on Fluoxetine (a form of Prozac) that worked well once a good balance was struck but then my benefits were screwed up and I had to go it alone with just using St. John"s wort it worked for a long time but now it has lost its effectiveness. Knowing that it is caused by a lack of serotonin in the brain I looked into dietary things I could do to help build up serotonin in the brain. They suggest eating Bananas and walnuts as well as combinations of Chicken or turkey (because they have tryptophan in them ) with oats and or whole wheat. It's brought me some relief (not sure if that is placebo effect) but is far from perfect. I'm now looking into CBT for myself.

[Ocdbf062 in reply to mopedmike]

Oh yeah, she’s all about the diet and different herbs and teas. She says it helps out a lot for sure. She’s been on meds, at first it was doing a lot but they’ve started to lose their effectiveness, which we knew would happen. Her dr says that we need to use therapy with them to start having more lasting results. So hopefully if we can get her regularly seeing someone she’ll feel a lot better

[Ocdbf062 in reply to Fargo-Guy]

Wow, thank you. Just her reading your post is gonna give her a lot of drive and hopefully a little reassurance. She’s been on medication, the effect is starting taper off so her dr recommend the CBT. Hopefully we can find a therapist that can help close enough to get into a regular schedule. Right now the closest one is 3 hrs away. But we’re gonna set up an appointment, so fingers crossed!

[Fargo-Guy in reply to Ocdbf062]

If her med is wearing of she may need a stronger does. They normally start you on a lower does and work up to one that is normal. What is she taking? I think the trying behavior therapy does not hurt but in some cases it made me feel guilty that I had to do it. Does not make sense but I felt guilty. The medication just made the desire or anxiety associated with OCD just fade. That is what you pray for. That the need to feed the anxiety goes away. My counselor says that OCD is an anxiety disorder and you have to feed the anxiety unless you can get rid of it. The behavior therapy did not always help me.

[Fargo-Guy]

Get back on your Prozac if it worked. Somehow. See another doctor.

[On_Or_Off]

of course nothing's as good as face to face therapy, but you may want to check out phone apps specifically for CBT. the one i'm currently using has been real helpful to me, but i don't want to name it because i believe there are better ones out there. for instance, this one doesn't allow me to save where i leave off each time. there were many options when i was looking for an app, though. it could be a nice buffer between face to face visits, and also it is possible to have online therapy via skype or something similar. good luck and good on you for looking out for your gf!

[Ocdbf062 in reply to On_Or_Off]

Thank you for the advice, we were discussing the online option for in between. We found a therapist about three hours away so we’re gonna set up an appointment and go from there!

[bab5]

Hello, I am very sorry to hear that your girlfriend is struggling.

I am sure that it kills both of you to have this poisoning your relationship.

The more often that you are physically and financially able to show up for CBT, the better.

There are many variables that determine whether CBT is effective. For some people, there are less strings attached in this regard. We will see how your girlfriend responds to the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as time goes on.

Have you thought about medication for your girlfriend?

I wish you and your girlfriend the best

[Ocdbf062 in reply to bab5]

She has meds, they’re just not working the way she hoped and they’re starting to be less effective on her already higher dose. It’s just to the point we are considering a move because there is no therapy available that we can commit to making it to maybe once every other week

[bab5 in reply to Ocdbf062]

May I ask which medication she’s taking?

Less effective on higher dose... yikes.

Considering a move? Wow

A move out of state?