Can Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Help With OCD?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterised by repetitive, intrusive thoughts (known as obsessions), which are sometimes followed by repetitive behaviours (known as compulsions) that an individual feels compelled to perform. 

Symptoms of OCD can significantly impact an individual's quality of life, affecting their work, relationships, and daily functioning. But, with professional support, managing symptoms of this mental health condition effectively is possible.

While several therapeutic approaches can help treat the symptoms of OCD, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, seems to be the most effective.

In this article, we take you through what Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is, and how it can benefit individuals with OCD.

Also read: The Role of Medication in OCD Treatment

What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, as the name suggests, combines Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy to help individuals identify and change their destructive thought patterns that have a negative influence on their emotions. Using CBT techniques individuals learn to identify their negative patterns of thinking, maladaptive behaviours and emotions to change them into more realistic ones. 

Essentially, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy focuses on changing an individual's automatic negative thoughts, which can worsen or contribute to negative emotional experiences, such as anxiety associated with OCD symptoms. Moreover, with CBT techniques, individuals are also taught coping skills which can help them manage their emotional reactions and behaviours better. 

What are the Benefits of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for OCD?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy offers a brief yet structured treatment approach for OCD. Though the therapy lasts for a short term, it has long-lasting therapeutic effects that are backed by decades of research. 

For individuals with OCD, the CBT approach uses behavioural techniques that help individuals get used to anxious feelings which result from obsessive thoughts, while cognitive techniques are used to challenge their destructive beliefs. 

Before sessions begin, individuals are educated about their condition, as well as the process, to help them feel more comfortable and understand the treatment better.

So, how is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy beneficial for individuals with OCD?

Also read: Challenging Stereotypes: Breaking Down Some Common OCD Myths

Changes in negative thought patterns

 During CBT sessions, cognitive therapy techniques are used to help individuals with OCD learn, identify, and challenge dysfunctional thought patterns that contribute to obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. Here, individuals learn that the emotional meaning that they attach to their experiences or thoughts may not always be realistic, and how they can challenge these thoughts.

Over time, individuals learn how to replace these thoughts with more positive and realistic ones, which helps in reducing anxiety and improving their overall well-being.

Exposure and Response Prevention exercises

Since the mid-1960s Exposure and Response Prevention (also known as ERP or EX/RP) techniques have been frequently used to help individuals manage their OCD symptoms. Based on a hierarchy list of anxiety-provoking situations provided by an individual, ERP involves gradually exposing the individual to these situations while preventing them from engaging in their compulsive behaviours. 

Before engaging with this technique, it is important to warn the individuals that the sessions may induce anxiety or unpleasant feelings, but that these feelings will dissipate over time. 

As the sessions continue, individuals start to get used to the situation, and their urge to engage in compulsive behaviours or their anxious feelings begin to fade. 

Provides coping skills 

During sessions, individuals also learn effective and healthy coping skills which help them manage their symptoms better daily. 

Coping skills mostly include relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness practices.

These relaxation techniques are especially useful during the ERP phase as they help in creating a calming effect. Most importantly, these techniques help individuals learn how to disengage from their immediate maladaptive physical reaction when exposed to an anxiety-inducing situation.

Increased self-awareness

After the ERP phase, once individuals adjust to their anxiety-provoking situations, they practise some cognitive exercises. These exercises are used to help individuals become aware of their triggers, and emotional reactions, and understand how their negative thought patterns may contribute to their symptoms. 

Using cognitive exercises individuals learn to differentiate between their obsessions and normal thoughts,  which is essential for managing their symptoms effectively. 

While CBT is highly effective in treating OCD symptoms, these techniques can only be carried out by trained professionals. 

CBT techniques are backed by decades of research and provide lasting relief to individuals with OCD. With OCD therapy techniques, individuals learn to challenge their obsessive thought patterns, gain effective coping skills, and get lasting relief from their symptoms. 

With CBT, individuals with OCD are able to gain control over their lives and live the life they envision for themselves. If you or someone you know is struggling with OCD, seeking the guidance of a mental health professional specialising in CBT can be an essential step towards recovery.

Sources:

1. Treatments for OCD | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. (n.d.). https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/treatments-for-ocd

2. Al-Sharbati, Z., Al-Sharbati, M. M., & Gupta, I. (2014). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. InTech eBooks. https://doi.org/10.5772/57332

3. Foa, E. B. (2010). Cognitive behavioral therapy of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 12(2), 199–207. https://doi.org/10.31887/dcns.2010.12.2/efoa

4. Understanding CBT for OCD | Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety | Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. (n.d.). https://www.med.upenn.edu/ctsa/forms_ocd_cbt.html#:~:text=Cognitive%2Dbehavior%20therapy%20is%20a,called%20Exposure%20and%20Ritual%20Prevention.