How is obsessive compulsive disorder treated?

My son has OCD and he takes Zoloft for it.
He goes to the Psychiatrist about once every 3 or 4 months to see how he is doing.
About once every 2 years he has to have a blood test to check the medicine levels/seratonin levels of his blood to see how the medicine is doing.
Other than taking a pill every night before bed and seeing the doctor occasionally, it really isn't a big factor in his life and he leads a normal life now that we got treatment for him.
Before that he was washing his hands over 100 times a day! They were red and raw from scrubbing. He was pulling his eyebrows out and also he freaked out about a lot of stuff...
No one could even go in his room and touch ANYTHING cause he had it just the way he wanted it and it freaked hime out if others went in there! Now he can even have friends over without a problem!
OCD can show itself in different ways though... not everyone has the same symptoms my son did...
some will clean their house excessively, some have to wear gloves and can't touch things others have touched for fear of contamination, there are many different ways OCD can show itself.
If you need help, don't feel bad to ask for it. OCD is a chemical imbalance in the brain and not something you did wrong or deserve to feel bad about.

Typically through anti-depressants and therapy.

Apparently the same chemical deficiency that causes depression, also is thought to be the cause of OCD.

Along with medication, patients are taught breathing exercises to help with anxiety that accompanies OCD, as well as coping techniques to help them ween off of their obsessions to help their compulsive behavior.

Through medication and therapy.

Lots of help from your family, friends and a good Psychiatrist.

by going to see a psychologist, and then by going to a psychologist, and then by going to a psychologist....

I applaud snoopy's reply.

How you treat it really depends on the severity of OCD

Wishing you all the best

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.I am 44 and i have had ocd since i was 7. they are mostly treated with SSRI anti- depressant drugs.i will advise you how to get free and cheap counseling, and what to do to control your OCD. I learned how to get a good grip on my OCD. if you want to see a therapist and can't afford one, then call your states social services department and ask them where you can get free help. most states, especially in the big cities offer free counseling with a psychiatrist and you can qualify for free meds from the big drug companies. they may charge on a sliding scale for a shrink, i went a long time ago when i needed help and i had to pay $6.00 per session. make some calls, it's all there for you. heres how i controlled my OCD, and it has caused me all sorts of problems in my life. i bacame an alcoholic for 14 years due to the anxiety from my OCD. i've been alcohol and drug free for 13 years now. don't drink or do drugs because this will only make your OCD worse. especially as you come down form substances because of the anxiety and stress that is associated with the comedown. coke and uppers will fuel your OCD severely and stay away from caffiene because this will also fuel your OCD. i am white knuckling it now as far as not taking any meds for my OCD, but i have learned to cut out stress in my life at a very good rate. don't get worked up about things. this will cause your stress and anxiety level to rise and severely impact your OCD symptoms. I should go on meds because when i took 100 milligrams of Luvox my OCD symptoms were reduced by 70%. i also learned to drink caffiene free teas at night and sometimes when i feel a bit anxious I will add cava cava or Valerian root to my tea. I will even at times take melatonin to help me relax at night. i even learned to practice ignoring my OCD when it demands that I perform rituals. It's hard to do at first, but when you ignore the obsessions by not giving in and performing these rituals, the OCD will greatly subside. over a few months time of ignoring rituals it will become easier and easier to not do this. Then it will become more of a maintainence for you to not do rituals. The strength of the OCD symptoms will now greatly reduce. I also learned to do rituals in my mind so I don't look funny to other people doing strange movements. you can learn to get a handle on this. as i got into my teens i was able to hide my symptoms from others by shifting focus of the rituals being performed in my mind. after you have shifted this focus then you realize that you can control, ignore and cut down on your symptoms. good luck.