Treatment Options
for OCD




Treatment Options
for OCD



A Path to Wellness

OCD can cause significant distress in one’s daily life. Fortunately, it is treatable. Seeking an evaluation by a trained mental health professional who can assist with diagnosis and developing a comprehensive treatment plan is the first step.
Several effective treatment options are available.

Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the gold standard treatment for OCD. The treatment focuses on the thoughts, feelings, behavior and physical reactions linked to OCD, while helping patients become less anxious in reaction to them.

Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP), a form of CBT, is an effective first line treatment for OCD. ERP gradually exposes the patient to the source of their anxiety, accompanied by the support of a mental health professional, who encourages them to refrain from acting on their compulsions.

Medications

Medication for OCD is also considered a first line treatment option in reducing OCD symptoms.

Several antidepressants have been FDA-approved to treat OCD, including selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and one tricyclic antidepressant (TCA). Common medications include clomipramine (Anafranil), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft).

It can take a couple of months for OCD drugs to start to work. While many patients find them to be helpful, these medications can also induce possible side effects, such as weight gain, dry mouth, and sexual dysfunction.

Even with the medication and therapy, up to 30-50% of those with OCD continue to experience distressing symptoms with inadequate relief.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS)

DBS is an invasive surgical procedure involving implantation of electrodes within certain areas of your brain. These electrodes produce electrical impulses that regulate abnormal impulses can affect certain cells and chemicals within the brain.

Deep brain stimulation involves creating small holes in the skull to implant the electrodes, and surgery to implant the device that contains the batteries under the skin in the chest.

Risks include surgical complication of brain surgery and potential side effects such as seizure, infection, headache, confusion, difficulty concentrating, stroke, hardware complications, and temporary pain and swelling at the implantation site.

TMS

Approximately 30-50% of those with OCD are resistant to first-line treatments such as medications and therapy. In addition, at least 30% of OCD patients struggle with co-occurring depression. Deep TMS Therapy has been clinically proven to be effective in patient who don’t respond to standard treatments for OCD, such as medication and therapy.

BrainsWay Deep TMS was the first non-invasive device FDA-cleared to treat OCD in 2018. Deep TMS utilizes magnetic fields to safely regulate the neural activity of brain structures found to be related to OCD. Deep TMS is also safe to combine with other forms of therapy and does not cause any adverse or long-lasting side effects. It is non-invasive and can be easily incorporated into the patient’s daily schedule.

A Path to Wellness

OCD can cause significant distress in one’s daily life. Fortunately, it is treatable. Seeking an evaluation by a trained mental health professional who can assist with diagnosis and developing a comprehensive treatment plan is the first step.

Several effective treatment options are available.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the gold standard treatment for OCD. The treatment focuses on the thoughts, feelings, behavior and physical reactions linked to OCD, while helping patients become less anxious in reaction to them.

Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERP), a form of CBT, is an effective first line treatment for OCD. ERP gradually exposes the patient to the source of their anxiety, accompanied by the support of a mental health professional, who encourages them to refrain from acting on their compulsions.

How TMS Works for OCD

How TMS Works for OCD

TMS for OCD is a localized, non-invasive treatment that uses magnetic fields to regulate neural pathways in the Cortico-Striatal-Thalamo-Cortical circuits of the brain, the areas involved with obsessive and intrusive thoughts, and/or compulsive actions that cause distress or impairment.

If you have OCD, certain regions of your brain are overactive. With OCD, your brain can enter a state called hyper connectivity, where your brain’s levels of communication and activity increase in several regions of the brain that regulate intrusive thoughts and compulsive behavior.

The treatment delivers magnetic stimulation to the frontal brain structures and networks, targeting previously unreachable areas of the brain with its proprietary H7-coil. BrainsWay OCD has many advantages over other treatment options, as it is an outpatient procedure that is generally well-tolerated and has no systemic side effects.

What are the Benefits of TMS Therapy?

Non-Invasive

Does not require anesthesia, sedation, or surgery.
No Systemic Side Effects

No weight gain, dry mouth, stomach upset, sexual dysfunction or other side effects.
No Drugs

Does not involve medications or the addition of more antidepressant medications.

What are the Benefits
of TMS Therapy?

Non-Invasive

Does not require anesthesia, sedation, or surgery.
No Systemic Side Effects

No weight gain, dry mouth, stomach upset, sexual dysfunction or other side effects.
No Drugs

Does not involve medications
or the addition of more
antidepressant medications.