Did you know that transcranial magnetic stimulation can treat OCD? Similar to depression, many who suffer from OCD have tried cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes without significant improvement or had many side effects. Luckily, TMS for OCD offers an alternative treatment that is safe, effective, and has been approved by the FDA since 2018. Using magnetic pulses, TMS stimulates the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex, both of which are areas associated with decision-making. It’s extremely safe, with adverse effects usually limited to local discomfort in the scalp area (seizures are very rare, occuring in only 0.56% of patients).
Do clinical results support the use of TMS in treating OCD? They do! A 2019 prospective multicenter randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial found that patients who received TMS treatment for OCD had response rates of 38.1% compared to the 11.1% response rate in patients who received placebo treatment. At the 1 month follow up, 45.2% of patients receiving TMS had a positive response compared to 17.8% in patients who received placebo.
At Houston Mind and Brain, we are proud to partner with Brainsway, the industry leader in deep TMS, to offer the only FDA-approved TMS device to treat OCD. These treatments are administered with the guidance of Dr. Raymond Cho MD, a board certified psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience in the field. If therapy and medication have not helped with your OCD and you’re interested in learning more about TMS, give us a call at (832) 699-7922!
