TMS & OCD

If you’re looking for alternative treatment options for OCD, this video might be for you. I’m Evan with Optimal TMS, and today I want to talk to you a little bit more about OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

OCD is a complicated condition with many different ways that it presents itself and impacts the lives of those who live with it. OCD involves obsessions, which are repetitive, intrusive thoughts linked to intense anxiety, and compulsions, which are rituals that an individual feels must be completed to alleviate the anxiety associated with the obsession.

Unlike depression or anxiety, there are very few treatment options available for OCD. Some people use SSRIs, which is a form of antidepressant that can help alleviate some of the symptoms of the obsession. Others engage in therapies like ERP, or exposure and response prevention, which involves engaging with the obsession without continuing on to complete the compulsion. This therapy can be very effective for many people, but it can also be intense and frightening because it involves directly facing the anxieties associated with the obsession without the alleviation that comes from completing the compulsion.

This is where TMS comes in. OCD is a dysfunction in the brain’s action and reward pathway. TMS, which has been FDA approved for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder since 2018, can help to break that positive feedback loop. Once TMS has helped reset these pathways, therapies that may have seemed overwhelming before can finally start to become effective.

TMS helps people with OCD overcome the fear of intensive therapies like ERP and is a great part of an alternative treatment plan when other therapies haven’t worked. So, if you are looking for alternative therapies for obsessive-compulsive disorder, I encourage you to reach out to our team and find a time for a free consultation with our provider. I’m Evan with Optimal TMS. Thanks for watching.