Electrical treatment for OCD
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a form of electrical treatment which has been found to reduce the symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder in extreme sufferers.
The electrical therapy involves passing a weak current through thin wire electrodes which are inserted into the brain. Recent findings have revealed that some individuals experiencing severe OCD found that the treatment helped to keep their symptoms under control for more than eight years with on-going DBS.
Dr Benjamin Greenberg, a psychiatrist at Brown University in Providence lead the study and has stressed that this technique is reserved only for those who have very extreme symptoms of OCD.
In 2008 Dr Greenberg reported that after treating 26 severely affected OCD patients with DBS for three years, 73 per cent of patients experienced a reduction of 25 per cent in their symptom ratings.
Though none of the patients were cured, the difference in their symptoms meant that after the DBS treatment they were able to cope far better during daily life.
Though the results of this study are extremely positive, far more research needs to be done in order discover the long term benefits and side effects of DBS. Sufferers of OCD often find that complementary therapies such as hypnotherapy are effective when used alongside conventional treatments and medication. If you are interested in finding out more about how hypnotherapy can help obsessions and compulsions then please view our fact-sheet.