Some people with OCD have eating disorders. In addition, they may avoid situations in which they might have to confront their obsessions. Or they may try unsuccessfully to use alcohol or drugs to calm themselves. If OCD grows severe enough, it can keep someone from holding down a job or from carrying out normal responsibilities at home, but more often it doesn't develop to those extremes. A combination of the two treatments is often helpful for most patients.
Some individuals respond best to one therapy, some to another.
Medications that have been found effective in treating OCD are fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline, clomipramine and fluoxetine. Others are showing promise and may soon be available. It involves exposing the person to whatever triggers the problem and then helping him or her forego the usual ritual for instance, having the patient touch something dirty and then not wash his hands. This therapy is often successful in patients who complete a behavioral therapy program, though results have been less favorable in some people who have both OCD and depression. For more detailed information about OCD, see the OCD brochure in the Library, which includes an OCD self-assessment test.