Acta Biomedica Scientia

TREATMENT OF TREATMENT-RESISTANT OBSESSIVECOMPULSIVE DISORDER WITH CONTINUOUS THETA-BURST STIMULATION OVER THE RIGHT ORBITOFRONTAL CORTEX: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Sri Saipriya S

SriSaipriya@gmail.com

OCD, Randomized Controlled Trial, Treatment-Resistant Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a highly prevalent psychiatric disorder. With a lifetime prevalence of 2.5 percent, it is characterized by pathological obsessions and compulsions. 1Meanwhile, OCD has a significant impact on the daily lives of patients and their families, resulting in a decrease in quality of life and frequently accompanied by anxiety and depression. While serotonin and cognitive-behavioral models can help with treatment, an etiology of OCD is still unknown. 3 Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and cognitive behavior therapy are two evidence-based treatments for OCD (CBT). In the treatment of OCD, a combination of pharmacotherapy and CBT has been found to be more effective than single treatments. The treatment involved a total of 26 patients with OCD. They were randomly assigned to one of two groups: active treatment or sham treatment. Two patients dropped out in the active treatment group (one due to time constraints, the other due to COVID-19 prevention and control), while three patients in the sham group (2 due to time constraints, one due to personal reasons) withdrew during the treatment period. Finally, 26 patients were included in the study, with a 17.9% drop-out rate overall. The drop-out rate did not differ significantly between the two groups. The findings suggest that two weeks of cTBS may not be the best way to improve OCD symptoms in treatment-resistant OCD, but twice-daily cTBS for OCD patients is safe, well-tolerated, and has no apparent side effects. Future research should enlist a larger sample size and look into whether treatment duration should be lengthened to help maintain treatment gains