The Science & Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

In this episode, I explain the biology and psychology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)—a prevalent and debilitating condition. I also discuss the efficacy and mechanisms behind OCD treatments—both behavioral and pharmacologic as well as holistic and combination treatments and new emerging treatments, including directed brain stimulation. I explain the neural circuitry underlying repetitive “thought-action loops” and why in OCD, the compulsive actions merely make the obsessions even stronger. I review cognitive-behavioral therapies like exposure therapy and SSRIs, holistic approaches, and nutraceuticals, detailing the efficacy of each approach and what science says about how to combine and sequence treatments. I describe an often effective approach for treating OCD where clinicians use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to deliberately bring patients into states of high anxiety while encouraging them to suppress compulsive actions in order to help them learn to overcome repetitious thought/action cycles. This episode should interest anyone with OCD, anyone who knows someone with OCD or OCPD, and more generally, those interested in how the brain works to control thoughts and actions, whether those thoughts are intrusive or not. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Social & Website Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Twitter - https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab Website - https://hubermanlab.com Newsletter - https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Subscribe to the Huberman Lab Podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3thCToZ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3PYzuFs Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3amI809 Other platforms: https://hubermanlab.com/follow Full show notes & links to peer-reviewed articles: https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-and-treatment-of-obsessive-compulsive-disorder Timestamps 00:00:00 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 00:03:01 Momentous Supplements, AG1 (Athletic Greens), Thesis, Eight Sleep 00:08:28 What is OCD and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder? 00:11:18 OCD: Major Incidence & Severity 00:15:10 Categories of OCD 00:21:33 Anxiety: Linking Obsessions & Compulsions 00:27:33 OCD & Familial Heredity 00:29:10 Biological Mechanisms of OCD, Cortico-Striatal-Thalamic Loops 00:39:36 Cortico-Striatal-Thalamic Loop & OCD 00:46:39 Clinical OCD Diagnosis, Y-BOCS Index 00:51:38 OCD & Fear, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) & Exposure Therapy 01:01:56 Unique Characteristics of CBT/Exposure Therapy in OCD Treatment 01:10:18 CBT/Exposure Therapy & Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) 01:22:30 Considerations with SSRIs & Prescription Drug Treatments 01:25:17 Serotonin & Cognitive Flexibility, Psilocybin Studies 01:31:50 Neuroleptics & Neuromodulators 01:36:09 OCD & Cannabis, THC & CBD 01:39:29 Ketamine Treatment 01:41:43 Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) 01:46:22 Cannabis CBD & Focus 01:47:50 Thoughts Are Not Actions 01:51:27 Hormones, Cortisol, DHEA, Testosterone & GABA 02:00:55 Holistic Treatments: Mindfulness Meditation & OCD 02:03:28 Nutraceuticals & Supplements: Myo-Inositol, Glycine 02:09:45 OCD vs. Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder 02:20:53 Superstitions, Compulsions & Obsessions 02:31:00 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous Supplements, Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter The Huberman Lab Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com

Andrew Hubermanhost

Jun 27, 20222h 33mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: June 27, 2022
Duration: 2h 33m
Channel: Huberman Lab
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In this episode, I explain the biology and psychology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)—a prevalent and debilitating condition. I also discuss the efficacy and mechanisms behind OCD treatments—both behavioral and pharmacologic as well as holistic and combination treatments and new emerging treatments, including directed brain stimulation. I explain the neural circuitry underlying repetitive “thought-action loops” and why in OCD, the compulsive actions merely make the obsessions even stronger. I review cognitive-behavioral therapies like exposure therapy and SSRIs, holistic approaches, and nutraceuticals, detailing the efficacy of each approach and what science says about how to combine and sequence treatments. I describe an often effective approach for treating OCD where clinicians use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to deliberately bring patients into states of high anxiety while encouraging them to suppress compulsive actions in order to help them learn to overcome repetitious thought/action cycles. This episode should interest anyone with OCD, anyone who knows someone with OCD or OCPD, and more generally, those interested in how the brain works to control thoughts and actions, whether those thoughts are intrusive or not. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Social & Website Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Twitter - https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab Website - https://hubermanlab.com Newsletter - https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Subscribe to the Huberman Lab Podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3thCToZ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3PYzuFs Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3amI809 Other platforms: https://hubermanlab.com/follow Full show notes & links to peer-reviewed articles: https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-and-treatment-of-obsessive-compulsive-disorder Timestamps 00:00:00 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 00:03:01 Momentous Supplements, AG1 (Athletic Greens), Thesis, Eight Sleep 00:08:28 What is OCD and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder? 00:11:18 OCD: Major Incidence & Severity 00:15:10 Categories of OCD 00:21:33 Anxiety: Linking Obsessions & Compulsions 00:27:33 OCD & Familial Heredity 00:29:10 Biological Mechanisms of OCD, Cortico-Striatal-Thalamic Loops 00:39:36 Cortico-Striatal-Thalamic Loop & OCD 00:46:39 Clinical OCD Diagnosis, Y-BOCS Index 00:51:38 OCD & Fear, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) & Exposure Therapy 01:01:56 Unique Characteristics of CBT/Exposure Therapy in OCD Treatment 01:10:18 CBT/Exposure Therapy & Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) 01:22:30 Considerations with SSRIs & Prescription Drug Treatments 01:25:17 Serotonin & Cognitive Flexibility, Psilocybin Studies 01:31:50 Neuroleptics & Neuromodulators 01:36:09 OCD & Cannabis, THC & CBD 01:39:29 Ketamine Treatment 01:41:43 Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) 01:46:22 Cannabis CBD & Focus 01:47:50 Thoughts Are Not Actions 01:51:27 Hormones, Cortisol, DHEA, Testosterone & GABA 02:00:55 Holistic Treatments: Mindfulness Meditation & OCD 02:03:28 Nutraceuticals & Supplements: Myo-Inositol, Glycine 02:09:45 OCD vs. Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder 02:20:53 Superstitions, Compulsions & Obsessions 02:31:00 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous Supplements, Instagram, Twitter, Neural Network Newsletter The Huberman Lab Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com

SPEAKERS

Andrew Huberman
host
Narrator
other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Huberman Lab, featuring Andrew Huberman and Narrator, The Science & Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) explores inside OCD: Brain Circuits, Treatments, and Misunderstood ‘Obsessions’ Explained Andrew Huberman explains obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as a brain-circuit disorder involving intrusive, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that temporarily reduce anxiety but ultimately strengthen the obsessive loop. He contrasts OCD with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), emphasizing that OCPD lacks intrusive thoughts and often feels ego-syntonic or even useful to the person. The episode details the core neural circuit in OCD (the cortico-striatal-thalamic loop), the role of anxiety in binding obsessions to compulsions, and why treatment must specifically target this loop.

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