More thoughts about episode 1.....

Not sure how many people have seen the trailer for The OCD Project, but it is pretty intense.....to say the least. I was somewhat frustrated when I saw it, because I thought....."That is crazy!! If I watched that trailer seven months ago, there is NO WAY I would have even considered the idea of getting any sort of treatment for my OCD!!"

So, coming from someone who has had quite a variety of treatment, I ASSURE you that what you saw on the trailer and teasers for what's to come in the remaining episodes is NOT how OCD is generally treated. Let me clarify.....the general idea of Exposure Response Prevention is accurate, but the intensity that the show portrays is very rarely used. The intensity bordered on "flooding" in my opinion, which from everything I've read on flooding, does not have a very high success rate. In other words, people who are treated by methods of flooding are very likely to quit treatment before any positive changes have taken place. I have heard numbers as high as 90% failure rate when flooding is used. PLEASE NOTE: I have done NO professional research of my own. I have just read articles, talked to people, and have gone through seven months of therapy.

Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), used correctly, is VERY effective for treating OCD. It is not a therapy that can be rushed as there are many components to it, repetition being one of the most crucial. I will talk about this more as the show progresses, and I have also written a lot about it in previous posts if you want to go back and read those.

To anyone who is struggling with OCD...... There is help. Help that is "challenging, yet manageable" as Roger's Memorial Hospital puts it. Manageable is the key.