PsychBabel

FDA News
AP News: FDA approves brain-zapping device to relieve OCD

On February 19th, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration “approved a humanitarian device exemption for the first implantable device that delivers intermittent electrical therapy deep within the brain to suppress the symptoms associated with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).”

Essentially, it is a pacemaker-like device that is implanted under the skin with four electrodes leading into areas of the brain. Such treatment has been used for movement disorders and likely modulates neural circuits that are hyperactive. This would be the first device for OCD. It is made by Medtronic, Inc. and is called the Reclaim Deep Brain Stimulator.

This type of treatment will likely be reserved for a small group of treatment-resistant individuals. According to Dr. Daniel Schultz, Director of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, “Deep brain stimulation using the Reclaim system may provide some relief to certain patients with severe obsessive compulsive disorder who have not responded to conventional therapy. However, Reclaim is not a cure for OCD. Individual results will vary and patients implanted with the device are likely to continue to have some mild to moderate impairment in functioning and continue to require medications.”

Hopefully, this will prove to be more effective than the Vagus Nerve Stimulator treatment for depression.

We live in fascinating times.

QotM (Question of the Moment):
What are the two most common side effects of Buspar?

Answer to previous QotM:
Alcohol withdrawal.

Questions of the Moment are derived from notes created by S. Hinds, M.D.

“Excess mortality, causes of death and prognostic factors in anorexia nervosa.” The British Journal of Psychiatry (2009) 194: 10-17.

According to a study published in The British Journal of Psychiatry, women in Sweden with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa were 6.2 times more likely to have died during a 30-year period than those in the general Swedish population. 6009 women with anorexia were followed up retrospectively, utilizing national registers based upon the personal identification numbers of Swedish residents. Causes of mortality were varied, but suicide was one of the most frequent causes of death in this group.

A six times greater likelihood of death – that’s a significant risk. In addition, anorexia nervosa (the nervous inability to eat) is one of the psychiatric diagnoses with significant physical morbidity. Unfortunately, it is also difficult to treat and is often associated with a host of comorbid issues. Treatment usually requires a concerted effort amongst a patient’s health providers and personal network. It is a disorder that most in the field of psychiatry run across infrequently, making it even more difficult to manage. Therefore, I highly recommend consulting with people who have familiarity with anorexia when treating someone with this diagnosis. I, personally, always ask for assistance in such situations.