"Breaking the OCD Cycle" talks about finding ways to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder. For people with OCD, persistent worries and repetitive tasks can be debilitating. For example, someone who is obsessed with germs may wash their hands constantly or bathe several times a day. There is a physiological root to this disorder. OCD runs in families and OCD patients and their close relatives are more likely to have decreased gray matter in areas of the brain involved in suppressing responses and habitual behavior. Cognitive therapy can be used as a treatment along with medication. One type of cognitive therapy is called exposure and response prevention (ERP). It gradually exposes individuals to their feared obsessions and teaches them to become less sensitive to them. Some other things that may help are exercise, and supplements such as omega-3, or vitamin B. If these treatments don't work, the FDA has recently approved the use of a implanted "deep brain stimulation" device for severe, treatment resistant OCD. It delivers electrical stimulation to the brain to block abnormal nerve signals. There is a risk though of life-threatening cerebral hemorrhage and brain infection.

This article relates to Chapter 14, page 567. The distress caused by the failure or inability to successfully complete the compulsive behavior is a defining feature of OCD.

Self Healing Magazine, 2009, Dr. Andrew Weils