It is estimated that up to a third of people with OCD have what is known as treatment-resistant OCD, which means that standard treatments such as medication and psychotherapy are ineffective for them. Treatment-resistant OCD can still be managed if you or someone you love is suffering from it.

There are many FDA-approved medications available for treating OCD, but they do not seem to be effective in treating one-third of people with OCD. The reasons for this can include genetics, body chemistry, medications you’re taking, skipping doses, and whether you use alcohol or drugs. For some people, finding the right dosage and medication type can take a lot of time and experimentation.

While psychological treatments have become increasingly popular in the treatment of OCD, they are not always effective. You may not be enough out of treatment for OCD for a variety of reasons, such as not being ready for therapy, receiving the wrong kind of treatment, an insufficient relationship with your therapist, lack of social support, financial difficulties, and a lack of family and social support. Staff at Psychiatric Associates of Pennsylvania can help to investigate alternative treatment plans with which to manage treatment-resistant OCD.

A pattern of unwanted thoughts and worries (obsessions) leads to repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that characterize obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It causes significant distress to live with these obsessions and compulsions, which interfere with daily activities.

In spite of your best efforts, you will only experience more distress and anxiety if you ignore or stop your obsessions. As a result, you feel driven to perform compulsive acts to relieve your stress. Despite efforts to ignore or get rid of bothersome thoughts or urges, they continue to return. OCD results in a vicious cycle of ritualistic behavior for these reasons.

Despite numerous theories and extensive research, scientists have yet to identify a definitive cause for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD has, however, been attributed to a variety of factors, involving one or more of the following: neurobiological, genetic, pregnancy,  learned behaviors, environmental factors, or specific events that trigger the disorder in a particular individual at a particular moment.

When it comes to treating treatment-resistant OCD the most effective option will depend on a wide array of factors. Given the many reasons patients can experience treatment-resistant OCD it is important to tailor a treatment plan to each patient’s individual needs.

Your provider may revisit medication administration to ensure medication was being used appropriately, to begin with. A new optimized dosage or different type of medication may be utilized in the treatment of OCD. The treatment plan in general may be shifted to augment or incorporate cognitive behavioral therapies.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the first-line medication turned to when it comes to treating OCD and will be continued in the treatment of treatment-resistant OCD in different doses or in combination with different treatments.

Treatment for treatment-resistant depression and OCD is available at Psychiatric Associates of Pennsylvania. For more information, contact us or schedule an appointment online. We are located at 822 Montgomery Ave Suite 208, Narberth, PA 19072. We serve patients from Narberth PA, Philadelphia PA, Media PA, Plymouth Meeting PA, Wayne PA, Newtown Square PA, Ardmore PA, Villanova PA, Malvern PA, King of Prussia PA, Abington PA, and surrounding areas.