Two clinical trials found that caffeine significantly reduces the severity of OCD symptoms in people with treatment-resistant OCD (47-48). I recently cut out coffee completely but I used to drink this coffee. You can also just take pure caffeine tablets if you want.
Although drinking appears to give people with OCD a break from compulsive behaviors, alcoholism actually worsens the condition. First, it interferes with the need to address obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors in healthy ways and with the help of a therapist.
How might caffeine improve symptoms of OCD? It's not clear. One possibility is that it can increase the release of dopamine in the brain, potentially improving the ability to divert attention away from obsessions. Improvements in mood and energy may give people a greater motivation to resist their intrusions.
According to the Association for Comprehensive Neurotherapy, a diet rich in whole grains and protein may be beneficial for reducing symptoms of OCD and preventing anxious reactions.
The most effective treatments for OCD are Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and/or medication.
Caffeine might help reduce OCD symptoms
Researchers in Tehran conducted a double-blind study to measure the effect of caffeine for people with OCD. The results might surprise you: the study found that the group of people taking caffeine (as opposed to a placebo) experienced a decrease in OCD symptoms.
“There are many natural ways to help manage OCD symptoms, such as exercise, meditation, and light therapy. Natural methods do not replace the need for medication in severe cases but can help decrease the intensity of symptoms.
Alcohol can provide short-term relief of certain symptoms of OCD, such as anxiety, stress or shame. When the effects of alcohol dissipate, anxious feelings can return and become worse than they were before drinking started.
Unfortunately, OCD doesn't just go away. There is no “cure” for the condition. Thoughts are intrusive by nature, and it's not possible to eliminate them entirely. However, people with OCD can learn to acknowledge their obsessions and find relief without acting on their compulsions.
Trauma, stress, and abuse all can be a cause of OCD getting worse. OCD causes intense urges to complete a task or perform a ritual. For those who have the condition, obsessions and compulsions can begin to rule their life.
Obsessive-compulsive symptoms generally wax and wane over time. Because of this, many individuals diagnosed with OCD may suspect that their OCD comes and goes or even goes away—only to return. However, as mentioned above, obsessive-compulsive traits never truly go away. Instead, they require ongoing management.
Speaking from experience, I would say that the average uncomplicated case of OCD takes from about six to twelve months to be successfully completed. If symptoms are severe, if the person works at a slow pace, or if other problems are also present, it can take longer.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Young people with this disorder tend to engage in all-or-nothing thinking because seeing their situations in absolutes gives them a sense of control. Unfortunately, when black-and-white thinking and OCD are connected, this thinking pattern can become rigid and difficult to change.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has two main parts: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwelcome thoughts, images, urges, worries or doubts that repeatedly appear in your mind. They can make you feel very anxious (although some people describe it as 'mental discomfort' rather than anxiety).
Symptoms fluctuate in severity from time to time, and this fluctuation may be related to the occurrence of stressful events. Because symptoms usually worsen with age, people may have difficulty remembering when OCD began, but can sometimes recall when they first noticed that the symptoms were disrupting their lives.
What is speaking related OCD? People with Perfectionism OCD focused on speaking experience intrusive doubts, thoughts, or fears regarding their verbal communication. Someone with fear of speaking OCD may find it difficult to say specific words, phrases, etc., or to express certain concepts or themes when around others.
Presentation. Primarily obsessional OCD has been called "one of the most distressing and challenging forms of OCD."
Research suggests that OCD involves problems in communication between the front part of the brain and deeper structures of the brain. These brain structures use a neurotransmitter (basically, a chemical messenger) called serotonin.