Providing Australians with access to the world’s best mental health therapies

3 Albert Coates Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000, AU

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is a mental disorder defined as a combination of anxiety-inducing thoughts and behavior. OCD can be time-consuming, create significant distress on the individual facing it and take a toll on family, friends, and colleagues. The condition’s two main components are ruminative thoughts (“obsessions”) and the actions meant to soothe them (“compulsions”).

Obsessive Thoughts: OCD usually arises from distressing, repetitive thinking. Common categories that fuel OCD-related anxiety include:

•Cleanliness and fear of contamination.

•Worrying about disastrous events.

•Focusing on organizing, counting, symmetry, or “just right” thinking.

•Taboo thoughts or mental rituals.

Compulsive Behavior: When battling OCD, many patients develop compulsive, ritualistic behavior as a way to suppress their stressful thought content – for example, excessive hand washing.

While these compulsive behaviors are meant to help reduce anxiety, in time they are incorporated into the individual’s obsessive OCD patterns, until they begin inducing stress themselves. This creates a cycle of thoughts and actions that exhaust the individual experiencing them, causing them a great deal of despair.

Treatment Options in Your Battle Against OCD

Deep TMS: Deep TMS utilizes magnetic fields to safely regulate the neural activity of brain structures found to be related to OCD. A multicenter study published in 2019 by the American Journal of Psychiatry confirmed the treatment’s efficacy, concluding that focusing brain stimulation on “the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex significantly improved OCD symptoms.” 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 noninvasive and can be easily incorporated into the patient’s daily schedule.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: CBT is a form of psychotherapy commonly used to treat 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. One subtype, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), assists patients in developing openness and flexibility when reacting to obsessive thoughts, while committing to behavioral change.

Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy: ERP has also been shown to be a form of psychotherapy effective in treating 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.

Psychopharmacology: Medication for OCD is also considered among the treatment options found helpful in reducing OCD symptoms. Several antidepressants have been approvedto treat OCD, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and one tricyclic antidepressant (TCA). While many patients find them to be helpful, these medications can also induce possible side effects, such as weight gain and sexual dysfunction.

Lifestyle Changes to Protect Against OCD: Healthy eating, regular exercise and “sleep hygiene” (eliminating distractions when going to bed) are seen as a “winning triad” that greatly affects our ability to ward off OCD symptoms. Additional protective factors include keeping up with your regularly scheduled activities and incorporating stress management techniques such as meditation, yoga, and massage therapy into your life.

More About Deep TMS Treatment for OCD

OCD Efficacy

BrainsWay’s Deep TMS OCD treatment using the H7-coil significantly alleviates OCD symptoms, as demonstrated in a 2019 multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled clinical study published by the American Journal of Psychiatry. The 2019 study concluded that after six weeks of treatment, there was a statistically significant improvement in OCD symptoms for the study’s active treatment group when compared to the sham group. The study also found the improvement was maintained at least one month after the treatment’s end, at week 10.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem. Nulla consequat massa quis enim. Donec pede justo, fringilla vel, aliquet nec, vulputate eget, arcu. In enim justo, rhoncus ut, imperdiet a, venenatis vitae, justo. Nullam dictum felis eu pede mollis pretium. Integer tincidunt. Cras dapibus. Vivamus elementum semper nisi. Aenean vulputate eleifend tellus. Aenean leo ligula, porttitor eu, consequat vitae, eleifend ac, enim. Aliquam lorem ante, dapibus in, viverra quis, feugiat a, tellus.

Phasellus viverra nulla ut metus varius laoreet. Quisque rutrum. Aenean imperdiet. Etiam ultricies nisi vel augue. Curabitur ullamcorper ultricies nisi. Nam eget dui. Etiam rhoncus. Maecenas tempus, tellus eget condimentum rhoncus, sem quam semper libero, sit amet adipiscing sem neque sed ipsum. Nam quam nunc, blandit vel, luctus pulvinar, hendrerit id, lorem. Maecenas nec odio et ante tincidunt tempus. Donec vitae sapien ut libero venenatis faucibus. Nullam quis ante. Etiam sit amet orci eget eros faucibus tincidunt. Duis leo. Sed fringilla mauris sit amet nibh. Donec sodales sagittis magna. Sed consequat, leo eget bibendum sodales, augue velit cursus nunc, quis gravida magna mi a libero. Fusce vulputate eleifend sapien.

Vestibulum purus quam, scelerisque ut, mollis sed, nonummy id, metus. Nullam accumsan lorem in dui. Cras ultricies mi eu turpis hendrerit fringilla. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; In ac dui quis mi consectetuer lacinia. Nam pretium turpis et arcu. Duis arcu tortor, suscipit eget, imperdiet nec, imperdiet iaculis, ipsum. Sed aliquam ultrices mauris. Integer ante arcu, accumsan a, consectetuer eget, posuere ut, mauris. Praesent adipiscing. Phasellus ullamcorper ipsum rutrum nunc. Nunc nonummy metus. Vestibulum volutpat pretium libero. Cras id dui. Aenean ut eros et nisl sagittis vestibulum. Nullam nulla eros, ultricies sit amet, nonummy id, imperdiet feugiat, pede. Sed lectus. Donec mollis hendrerit risus. Phasellus nec sem in justo pellentesque facilisis.

For Adults

You can call our highly experienced clinical team if your child, teenager or family is going through difficulties.

ANXIETY

DEPRESSION

BIPOLAR DISORDER

ADHD

A – Z OF ISSUES

For Children

You can call our highly experienced clinical team if your child, teenager or family is going through difficulties.

ADHD

ASPERGERS AND AUTISM

DEPRESSION

ANXIETY DISORDERS

A-Z OF ISSUES

For Business

You can call our highly experienced clinical team if your child, teenager or family is going through difficulties.

MEDICO LEGAL REPORTS

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

LOCUMS AND STAFFING

NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTS

MENTAL CAPACITY ASSESSMETNS

WHO WE ARE

We Are The Best Support for You

Our clinic largest private mental health partnership, with a carefully selected nationwide team of Psychiatrists, Psychologists and Psychotherapists. We only work with highly experienced and capable partners who share our values.