As you know by now, unfortunately I have been suffering from OCD for almost 8 years now, which unfortunately is getting worse and worse instead of better. In all these years I have tried many different methods of therapy (I will write separately about possible forms of therapy), which have not worked for me. I write it this way because it only means that it didn't work for me, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't help others with OCD, it's individual for everyone. Anyway, I had a conversation with my doctor from the clinic earlier this year about another form of therapy, deep brain stimulation. This conversation led to a further coversation with the neurosurgeon in charge, because the deep brain stimulation is a surgical procedure on the brain, more about that in a moment. In this conversation we also talked about the possible risks and everything about deep brain stimulation and I then decided to have the surgery. Since the procedure needs some preparation, I had to wait some time, but on November 21 it is finally time and I'm looking forward to it.
What is the deep brain stimulation?
The deep brain stimulation is performed in patients with severe OCD.
This mainly concerns those patients for whom no improvement of the
compulsions could be achieved so far with all available psychiatric and
psychotherapeutic therapy methods.
In deep brain stimulation, two
high-precision fine electrodes are inserted into the brain in a surgical
procedure. An electrical pulse generator, practically a brain
pacemaker, which is inserted under the collarbone, delivers a continuous
current pulse into the brain via the electrodes. This changes brain
function and results in a reduction of compulsions.
In addition
to obsessive-compulsive disorder, deep brain stimulation can be used for
Parkinson's disease, Tourette's disease, dystonia and epilepsy.
Does it heal ocd?
No, deep brain stimulation doesn´t cure OCD. But it suppresses it.
Is the surgery risky/dangerous?
As said before this form of treatment is only used in very serious cases.
Of
course, there are risks with any surgery, and I was informed about
them. Nevertheless, the chance of a normal, free life outweighs the
possible risks for me.
The deep brain stimulation has been used for 25 years, so there is a lot of experience in this field and I trust my doctors.
Is the deep brain stimulation only for ocd?
No. As mentioned earlier, the deep brain stimulation can be applied in
various areas. Originally this treatment actually was developed for
Parkinson's patients. However, it was then discovered that it can also
help in other areas of mental and neurological illnesses and research
began into this.
For depression, it is more common to use medication or even ketamine as a form of treatment.
Feel free to ask me questions about it if you have any. I will answer them as good as I can. 💙
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