OCD is a type of chronic anxiety disorder where the individual experiences unreasonable, uncontrollable, or recurring thoughts followed by a behavioral response or compulsion. OCD can have many different categories of “obsessions.” The following broadly covers the types of obsessions commonly associated with OCD.
- Constant nonstop compulsive actions such as checking, handwashing, locking, moving objects, staring, praying, or seeking symmetry.
- Seeking reassurance from loved ones multiple times in a short exchange.
- Mental/physical compulsions such as repeating words, counting, mental checking, along with struggling to resist the compulsions.
- Ruminating on disaster scenarios.
- Fear of Contamination.
- Violent thoughts
Unfortunately, once these obsessive thoughts create enough stress or anxiety to the point of becoming intrusive, a person with OCD creates a compulsion that releases the built up stress.
If you feel like you may exhibit signs of OCD, we recommend taking the Y-BOCS quiz.
TMS and OCD
Have you tried therapy and medication to no avail? Then you should try Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for OCD. TMS is FDA cleared to treat OCD. For OCD, TMS therapy uses magnetic fields to stimulate the medial prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex to reduce the symptoms of OCD. 38.1% of patients had a 30% reduction in their Y-BOCS score after TMS treatment over 6 weeks while 54.8% had a partial response of a 20% or less reduction to their OCD symptoms. TMS is non-invasive, safe, and has very few side effects when compared to traditional medications. For OCD, we recommend 29 sessions of TMS over the course of 6 weeks, adjusting as needed to adapt to patient needs and patient response. Ideally, a patient should undergo 5 treatments a week at the same scheduled time. Treatments are 20 minutes each and will occur at any of our TMS locations.
We can’t recommend TMS enough! Contact us today to learn how TMS can help you!
