International OCD Awareness Week: OCD prevalence among women, new therapy and more

The International OCD Foundation has designated this week as International OCD Awareness Week.

In conjunction with this observance, Healio Psychiatry has compiled a list of its most-viewed stories for the year related to OCD research.

A study suggesting women are at increased risk for OCD vs. men, research on deep brain stimulation for OCD and FDA clearance of a new OCD therapy were just some of the most-read OCD-related stories of the year.

OCD more common among women vs. men

Women appeared to have a greater lifetime risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder than men, according to results of a meta-analysis published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Read more.

Deep brain stimulation effective, safe for treatment-refractory OCD

Deep brain stimulation of the ventral anterior limb of the internal capsule, or vALIC, in a regular clinical setting is effective and safe for treating treatment-refractory OCD, according to results of a clinical cohort study published in American Journal of Psychiatry. Read more.

FDA clears transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy for treating OCD

The FDA granted clearance for a transcranial magnetic stimulation device for adjunct treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, according to an industry press release. Read more.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy not effective for patients with OCD

Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder generally do not benefit from mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, or MBCT, according to study results published in Psychiatry Research. Read more.

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms may be linked to ‘impaired ability to rely on the past’

Researchers have gained new insight into the cognitive and computational process underlying obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Specifically, patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder may distrust their past experience, resulting in increased indecisiveness, uncertainty and exploratory behaviors, according to study findings published in PLoS Computational Biology. Read more.