Living with OCD (Learn the basics from a patient)

Name: Living with OCD (Learn the basics from a patient)
Rating: 4.5 (33 reviews)

Learn about OCD, a serious mental illness that affects millions

Created byLaurent Cousineau

Last updated 11/2021

English

What you'll learn

Learn the Basics of OCD
Understand How Severe the Condition Can Be
How to Deal with Intrusive Thoughts
Treating OCD

Course content

6 sections • 6 lectures • 40m total length

Introduction2:59
This is a brief introduction to OCD and briefly describes the two main components of obsessive-compulsive disorder: intrusive thoughts and compulsions.

Intrusive Thoughts7:28
This lecture will look at intrusive thoughts in more depth. There are many different types of intrusive thoughts and it is important to know that they are meaningless. If you treat them as meaningless, they lose their power and will reduce in frequency and intensity. If you react to them in the wrong way, you are giving them more power. The goal is not to have no intrusive thoughts (it is normal for people to have them); instead, the goal should be to not care about them.

Compulsions6:27
We will look at what are compulsions regarding OCD, which could be mental or physical. Handwashing is a famous and common form of compulsion for people with OCD, but it is important to understand that it is definitely not the only one. In fact, many people with OCD may have mostly mental compulsions which take up a big part of their day. Crucial point: compulsions relieve anxiety in the short term but increase anxiety in the long run. People with OCD should try to reduce their compulsions and not reduce their intrusive thoughts (remember section 2 on intrusive thoughts).

Treatment12:21
Treatment via a combination of therapy and medication is definitely possible for the vast majority of people with OCD. There is a small percentage of people who do not respond to therapy and medication, and for these people, there are treatments done via brain stimulation or brain surgery. It is important for people to be persistent with their therapy and that they are consistent with their medication. It could take a long time to feel the full benefits of an antidepressant and it could also take time to see the big benefits of therapy. However, people who suffer a lot from OCD should not give up and they should realize that they are not alone for there are millions of people in just the United States who have OCD.
The most well-known therapy, currently, for OCD is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and more specifically, there is a subset of CBT called Exposure and Response Prevention. The goal is to expose yourself to your worst intrusive thoughts and to let yourself feel anxiety instead of pushing it away. By accepting the presence of intrusive thoughts and letting yourself feel the anxiety, you are retraining your brain. Also, it is important to reduce the intensity and frequency of compulsions.

Requirements

No Requirements Except Know English Language

Description

Learn about OCD - obsessive-compulsive disorder, a serious mental illness that affects millions of people in the United States alone. It is estimated to affect 1 to 2 % of the world population. Many people do not fully understand OCD and the way people deal with OCD is not necessarily the same as it is portrayed in the media.

The course will talk about its two main components, namely intrusive thoughts and compulsions, and how to deal with them. Intrusive thoughts are words, images, memories, imaginations, that seem to invade a person's mind. Compulsions, which can be mental or physical, are the rituals a person with OCD does in order to try to relieve anxiety.

The teacher, Laurent Cousineau, will also talk about how OCD affected his own life. Laurent struggled with OCD for about 20 years, starting around the age of 9. Laurent suffered from many different types of intrusive thoughts and compulsions over the years. In 2017, his OCD was so bad that it took up a big part of his day.

Towards the end of the class, there is a lot of advice about the treatment of OCD. Laurent Cousineau strongly recommends a combination of therapy and medication for people with OCD. The most recommended form of therapy is exposure and response prevention, which is part of CBT - cognitive behavioral therapy.

Many people who suffer with OCD are not aware of the treatment options and feel like they are the only ones in the world suffering with the condition. However, it is important to know that millions of people suffer from the same condition and for the vast majority of OCD sufferers, treatment is possible.

* This online class is free and meant for informational purposes (advice); it is definitely not a replacement for medical advice. In fact, the teacher, Laurent Cousineau, highly recommends a combination of therapy and medication for severe OCD.

Who this course is for:

Patients with OCD, people who have loved ones with OCD, People who are curious about this mental illness

Living with OCD (Learn the basics from a patient)

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction1 lecture • 3min

Intrusive Thoughts1 lecture • 7min

Compulsions1 lecture • 6min

Personal Story of OCD1 lecture • 10min

Treatment1 lecture • 12min

Closing Remarks1 lecture • 2min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: