Natural Cures for OCD

These days, it's common for people to prescribe a medicine to treat any particular illness, be it mental or otherwise. This doesn't mean that alternative, natural treatment methods are not available. You might consider trying these natural OCD cures before seeking more radical treatment or turning to prescription drugs.

The alternatives outlined below include those that you can get by regularly meeting with a trained professional and those you can get by changing your habits. I will also touch on "natural" supplements and other remedies that are advertised, but I don't particularly recommend them.

Seeking professional help is an important part of treating OCD - especially more severe cases.  The most commonly suggested sorts of therapy for OCD include:

Counseling - This more brief form of professional hope focuses on your interaction with the everyday world, as well as your assets and strengths

Cognitive Therapy - This kind of therapy focuses on changing your thought patterns

Psychotherapy - Could include elements of the above forms as well as other methodologies

To be honest, what matters most is that you find a certified professional who feels comfortable and capable of helping you, and with whom you feel comfortable.  If you cannot trust and feel comfortable with your therapist, you'll not be able to make much progress.

In addition to getting professional help, there are many everyday things you can do to combat the severity of your OCD.  Here are some major options:

Reducing stress - OCD is often exacerbated by stress, so finding out the root of your current stress and addressing it directly can make a big difference.

Changing your living situation - Sometimes stress in your life can be inherently built into your current living situation.  Though it's hard to make big shifts in one's life, if your current lifestyle isn't working for you, you need to change it.  This could mean changing jobs, getting out of an unhealthy relationship, moving, getting a pet, making new friends, taking time off, or redecorating.  Consider what you can do to remove yourself form the source of strain and unhappiness in your life, and if it's possible to make the necessary changes, make them!

Changing the way you think - OCD is a funny thing; a lot of obsessive-compulsive thoughts are built on a foundation of logic, but taken way too far.  It's important to acknowledge obsessive-compulsive thoughts as exactly what they are- illogical obsessions.  Even if you still feel the need to heed certain thoughts and bend to certain compulsions, you can still acknowledge that they're bonkers.  In other words, you must separate yourself form your OCD thoughts.  This will make it possible to overcome these illogical thoughts in the long term.

You'll find that there are lots of products out there that are advertised as natural formulas designed to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder.  These formulas typically combine basic vitamins and minerals with fancy explanations of how those vitamins and minerals affect your neurotransmitters and the like, and while I don't doubt that these things can make a difference, I suggest going with a real, prescribed medication if you want to take a pill to treat OCD.

Why? Because many natural vitamins, supplements, and formulas are not regulated particularly heavily by the USDA.  It's best to go with something that has met certain standards in terms of safety.  It also helps to go with prescription drugs because they are typically prescribed to you based on your own personal health, your doctor or therapist's expert opinion, and many other factors.  It's best to leave a lot of those choices to professionals.