truth about full recovery

[Helpgod7]

is full recovery like Alison greymond is promising on her YouTube channel truly possible ? Can Ocd sufferers fully recover ? What is the truth ?

[Focusedmind]

Although I am not familiar with Alison Greymond on YouTube, I believe with exposure therapy; one can recover from OCD. Many counselors use CBT training to use exposure therapy to "cure" OCD by slowly exposing the person to their fears slowly. I have been told that Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is very effective, primarily when used with Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP).

"The exposure component of ERP refers to practicing confronting the thoughts, images, objects, and situations that make you anxious and provoke your obsessions. The response prevention part of ERP refers to choosing not to do a compulsive behavior once the obsessions have been "triggered." All of this is done under the guidance of a therapist at the beginning ----though you will eventually learn to do it on your own. Over time, the treatment will "retrain your brain" to no longer see the object of the obsessions as a threat." On the NOCD website, there are trained counselors that use CBT with ERP that can help you with some of these OCD conditions. I have been able to do this on my own to tackle my germaphobic OCD in real life. So, yes, I think it is possible to recover from OCD, but it may take time, and come back in other ways.

[Helpgod7 in reply to Focusedmind]

Thank you so much for your answer

It’s really tough

Thanks

[Sallyskins]

At the moment there isn't a cure for OCD, but there is treatment. Medication can help, though not all patients respond well to it. And CBT is essential, whether you're on medication or not.

There are also promising studies on other therapies - large doses of inositol (a natural substance and available over the counter in some health food shops and drugstores) and keeping a healthy gut - probiotics and prebiotics can help here. These are not standard treatments, at least not yet, but studies have had good results.

Although OCD isn't curable, it's possible to manage and control it so you can have an (almost) normal and worthwhile life.

If someone promises a cure, be very sceptical. If anyone promises a cure, and doesn't tell you how unless you give them money, then keep away from them. They are just scammers who want your cash.

It's a fluctuating condition, remember, so if you're struggling, it's good to remind yourself that you will have good patches as well as bad, and you won't always feel so bad.

[Focusedmind in reply to Sallyskins]

Sally, you make excellent points. First, that there is no way to really "cure" OCD is very valid as it does seem to come back in other forms, but there seem to be ways of managing and controlling it. Additionally, I think using probiotics and prebiotics to keep a healthy gut is essential. I have never tried Inositol. How much do you suggest taking? Thank you for your input.

(Update) Sally, I went back and found your post from 2 years ago saying the following, "Inositol isn't official prescribed for OCD right now, but studies have indicated that it is safe and effective. High doses are needed. A dose of 18 g a day is suggested. It can be obtained over the internet, but make sure you get it from a reputable supplier. There are some pretty dodgy people who sell all sorts of rubbish on the internet! It takes a few weeks to start working so don't assume you'll feel better instantly."

Do you think the dosage is still valid?

[Sallyskins in reply to Focusedmind]

As far as I know (and I have checked recently) the optimum dosage is 18 g a day as stated. It's rather a lot, and I'm not sure of the cost, but it has had some good results with people who have really intractable OCD that hasn't responded to other treatments.

I do think more studies should be done as so many people are suffering with OCD. I've mostly responded well to standard medication and CBT so I haven't tried it, but it's worth exploring. It could be a good alternative.

[Helpgod7]

Thank you so much Sally

To fight Ocd, every suggestion is used

Thanks so much

[Natureloverpeace]

It depends on what you mean by full recovery. It can be well- managed but not cured. An active recovery needs to be maintained after treatment with a licensed mental health provider who specializes in OCD treatment and has been appropriately trained in ERP. Be careful about taking advice from OCD coaches. OCD coach is a self-appointed title. An OCD coach is a person with lived experience. They are not OCD specialists and don’t have the training or education to be one. Some of the things Alison Greymond had posted in a particular OCD support group went against what the top OCD experts recommended.

As far as studies go, use caution there too. Many of the “studies” one can read on the internet are third-party articles that describe actual studies. Some of them can be okay but they can also be click-bait that provides revenue to the poster. Sometimes the title of the original study is changed to make the article seem more interesting. Sometimes data is added or deleted from the original study in the article about the study. Keep in mind when reading these that association doesn’t equal causation.

Exercise caution when reading about supplements or other products to take for OCD. A lot of it is hype without the evidence to back it up. There are psychiatrists such as Dr. Christopher Pittenger who are experts about medication for OCD and who have done research on them.

[Sallyskins in reply to Natureloverpeace]

I can echo your scepticism about supplements and other things that have been put forward as treatments for OCD, but inositol does sound promising. I can post a link to an IOCDF article. Some people just don't get along with conventional medication or it doesn't have much effect. But CBT and ERP are essential!

There are a lot of people, usually without any qualifications, promising a 'cure' in return for hard cash - they're charlatans and fraudsters. They're generally rather coy about how their methods 'work' unless you pay up front! And then you find it's all a con.

A lot more good quality research is needed into better treatments. I do agree that one has to put a lot of work into maintaining the benefits of the treatment - it needs to be built into one's ordinary life.

A healthy gut is good for both mental and physical health, so maintaining gut health is worth putting effort into.

It's also helpful to get one or two self help books - but make sure they use CBT techniques!

iocdf.org/expert-opinions/over-the-counter-supplements-in-the-treatment-of-ocd/

[Natureloverpeace in reply to Sallyskins]

Thanks, yeah , if you want to post the link that would be great. There are some good self-help books out there and some not so good books.

[Natureloverpeace in reply to Sallyskins]

I realize there are some studies that show some effectiveness. The study samples have been small though which is a problem in predicting effectiveness more broadly. One study had 13 participants. There is potential however and more research is being done.

[Sallyskins in reply to Natureloverpeace]

I've posted a few links below, all from reputable sources. I think that they'll need a search engine to access them.

[Natureloverpeace in reply to Sallyskins]

Thanks for sharing the links, I’ll look them up.

[Natureloverpeace in reply to Sallyskins]

I did look them up. The last three links all refer to the same study that I also referenced where there were only 13 study participants. Statistical significance can’t be made from only 13 people. Inositol may benefit people with OCD but without statistical significance there isn’t sufficient evidence to show that it does. Then again, there isn’t evidence to show that it doesn’t. More research with a larger number of participants is needed, preferably using a longitudinal study method. Thankfully, more research is being done. Using reputable sources to look up studies is helpful but it isn’t a guarantee that the study you’re looking at is of high quality. There is a grading system that researchers use to determine the quality of a design based on research methodology and design.

[Natureloverpeace in reply to Sallyskins]

A person’s medical history needs to be considered before taking inositol. There are several medical conditions where the use of inositol is contraindicated so a doctor should be consulted.

[Sallyskins]

iocdf.org/expert-opinions/over-the-counter-supplements-in-the-treatment-of-ocd/

[Sallyskins]

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9169302/

[Sallyskins]

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8780431/

[Sallyskins]

phillyintegrative.com/blog/inositol-for-ocd

[Focusedmind in reply to Sallyskins]

Sally, thank you for all your articles and your time researching this topic. I plan on reading each of the studies. 🤝❤️

[TomFed]

Talking about natural supplements for OCDers, I have recently had a tremendously good experience with N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC). 3000mg dose once a day with breakfast, basically stopped my obsessive intrusive thoughts 3-4 days after I started taking it. Before I had moderate OCD clinical symptoms (scored 21 on Y-BOCS if I remember correctly). Combined with ERP therapy, I feel NAC is currently a fine solution for me on my healing journey. Here is a study --> ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl... After my very positive experience with it, I feel NAC would be worth to try for anybody with mild to moderate OCD symptomatology. At least, this study says that for severe OCD cases NAC doesn't have obvious positive effect.

[Helpgod7]

Hello,

was NAC prescribed by your doctor or did you get it over the counter? Were there any side-effects ?

My son suffers from Ocd and I am at my wits end trying to find natural supplements that could help him along the way. He is also doing ERP for his perfectionism.

Thank you for any more details

[TomFed in reply to Helpgod7]

It's over the counter, you don't need prescription for it. It is all natural amino-acids that help to regulate glutamate in specific regions of the brain. There are NAC pills and raw powder. I bought bulk powder 100% NAC from amazon as I have a feeling it might be more effective than pills. Only noticeable side effect for me was slight constipation and bloating in the first week of using it, by the second week it went away and no other side effects occured. It's mentioned in the study as well that many patients on trial experienced some digestive tract issues in the first few weeks while the body got used to NAC. Good luck to you and you son. OCD is a tough nut, but good news is it is very curable.

[Helpgod7 in reply to TomFed]

Thanks a ton for the details

Can you take it along with SSRI inhibitors medication? God bless you

[languageteacher in reply to Helpgod7]

Hi! In India you find Nimhans (Bangalore, Karnataka) Medical Center. I wrote this because you are from India. This center is world-known especially in treating severe OCD which doesn't react to traditional treatment. You can find further information at Google.

[Helpgod7 in reply to languageteacher]

Thank you so much

I will go there, thank you

[TomFed]

Probably yes, as it is all natural. But again I'm not a clinician, just a fellow OCDer. So if you think it is necessary to get an opinion from a doctor, definitely consult with a trained mental health professional. I've never taken SSRIs or any other chemical drug for OCD, just my personal choice as my OCD is usually not too severe and I mostly learned to accept the anxiety without doing compulsions (ERP).