Helga A L's Senior Project Blog

Project Title: "But What If?": Understanding the Effectiveness of Different OCD Treatments BASIS Advisor: Julie Bohling Internship Location: Mountain View Mental Health Onsite Mentor: Dr. Katie Brazaitis

Project Abstract

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a well-known disorder that affects around 2.5 million adults in the U.S. (Anxiety & Depression Association of America, 2022). OCD significantly deteriorates the quality of life for those affected through overwhelming intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and an urge to relieve them (compulsions) and has many diagnosed subtypes which can influence the effectiveness of treatments, potentially even worsening symptoms. Over the course of decades, multiple treatments were developed to reduce symptoms but no definitive cure has been found as the disorder’s processes are not entirely understood. The most effective treatment to date is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), but certain aspects of it such as its reliance on patient motivation make it difficult to determine how effective it is overall when compared to newer, more unique treatments like Transcranial-Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). As a result, there is ongoing research for more effective treatments, and current options are being modified to improve quality of life as much as possible. With my on-site mentor, Dr. Katie Brazaitis, I hope to investigate several accepted treatment methods for OCD, being CBT, drug treatments, TMS, and Deep Brain Stimulation, to form a comprehensive comparison of their effectiveness between each treatment type. I plan to collect data by studying literature regarding all aspects of these treatments over the course of the internship. I aim to utilize the results of the overall comparison to form a clearer picture of the effectiveness of each treatment.