Typically, the medication best fit to treat OCD is an SSRI (most often used as an antidepressant). Penzel says, “The purpose of the medication is to lower the level of obsessive thoughts, lower the anxiety, and improve a sufferer’s mood.“

No matter which kinds of obsessions and compulsions your OCD manifests itself with, finding the right treatment for yourself is incredibly important, and after being diagnosed that summer, I knew I had to seek help. For me, Exposure and Response Therapy and the addition of an SSRI medication (that also works for depression and anxiety), helped me tremendously. This form of therapy helped me truly understand my own mind and made me realize that, indeed, my thoughts were just thoughts. I also upped my dosage on anti-anxiety medications, which made a huge difference in a matter of months.