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TMS for Child / Adolescent OCD
Our mission is to help resolve the debilitating effects of Child – Adolescent OCD through TMS, which has been proven to be a highly effective long-term solution. Our San Diego Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Clinic offers TMS for Child and Adolescent OCD.
Child – Adolescent OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is diagnosed in as many as 1 in 200 children and adolescents. OCD is characterized by repetitive, intense obsessions and/or compulsions, which cause significant discomfort to the sufferer and interfere with day-to-day functioning.
Obsessions are repetitive and chronic thoughts, impulses, or images that are unwanted/intrusive, which cause demonstrable anxiety or distress. Most often, these obsessions are unrealistic or irrational.
Compulsions are recurrent behaviors or rituals (like hand washing, fixation on order, or checking something over and over, such as a door lock or oven). Compulsions can also be mental behaviors (such as counting, repeating words silently, and avoiding triggers).
OCD obsessions or compulsions cause considerable anxiety and/or distress to the sufferer, and they interfere with the child’s normal routine, academic functioning, social activities, or relationships.
Obsessive thoughts can vary with the age of the child, thus they may change over time.
A younger child with OCD might have chronic thoughts that harm will come to himself or a family member (like being abducted from his/her home) – the child may compulsively check that all doors and windows of the home are locked, after his/her family members parents are asleep, in an attempt to relieve the overwhelming anxiety – but, having checked/rechecked all of the locks, the child may then fear that she/he may have accidentally unlocked a door or window, while in the process of checking, and thus she/he compulsively checks over and over again.
An adolescent or a teenager who suffers from OCD might believe and fear that she/he will become ill from germs, AIDS, or contaminated food. In order to manage his/her feelings, the adolescent may develop “rituals”, which are behaviors or activities that are repeated. Often the obsession and compulsion are attached – fear that a bad thing will occur if one stops checking locks or washing her/hands washing, so he/she cannot stop the ritual, even though it is not sensible.
OCD is a brain disorder and tends to run in families, according to research. However, this fact does not signify that a child will definitely develop OCD if their parent has the disorder. Children can develop OCD with no family history of it.
Shame and embarrassment are often experienced by children and adolescents with OCD. Many children believe that they are crazy, as a result of OCD symptoms, thus they are reluctant to divulge their thoughts and behaviors to anyone.
Most children with OCD are treated with a combination of psychotherapy (‘talk’ therapy) and medications. Talk therapy is a protracted process that may/may not yield the expected result.
With regard to medication(s), many children are medication non-compliant; and many do not achieve the desired outcome of the medications (often they are prescribed multiple medications), even when they are taking them as prescribed. Additionally, most medications have debilitating side effects that make medication an unattractive intervention.
TMS has proven to be highly effective in healing Child – Adolescent OCD.
TMS benefits include
- High Success Rate – considerably higher success rate than any other treatments
- Enables sufferers to entirely stop or significantly reduce medications
- Non-Invasive – the treatment is entirely external to the body
- Non-Sedative – it requires no sedation and is relatively painless
- Minimal to No Side Effects – it has no side effects in the vast majority of patients
Call or Email us to schedule a free consultation for Adolescent OCD:
Is TMS safe for Children?
Sufficient evidence suggests that TMS is as safe in children as it is in adults. Some studies suggest that it may even be more favorable to other modalities and medication in terms of safety in adolescents. Studies on theta-burst stimulation, a lower-intensity and high-frequency form of TMS that BrainCenter uses, showed no serious adverse effects when used on children.
What are the signs of OCD in a child?
Children and adolescents with OCD often show signs of worry and doubt. These obsessive worries often show themselves as fears of germs, a need for organizations, religious obsessions, bodily waste obsessions, aggressive thoughts, intrusive sounds, etc. These obsessions may cause compulsive rituals such as cleaning, grooming, arranging, checking, touching, counting, hoarding, etc.
What triggers OCD in a child?
The exact mechanisms that trigger OCD in children are unknown. Like most mental disorders, its causes likely come from a mix of psychological, neurobiological, and genetic factors of which environmental factors provoke. Each individual has their own unique obsessions and compulsions surrounding a given issue.
How can I help my child with OCD?
Treating OCD early is helpful in halting the development of the disease. SSRI antidepressant drugs are first-line medications for treating OCD. Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy has a degree of effectiveness, especially exposure therapies. Recently, TMS has proved itself as another safe option for treating children with OCD. It may even be favorable to SSRI drugs for certain individuals who don’t respond well to these types of medicines.
What is the success rate of TMS for OCD?
Studies with different TMS protocols report varying success rates in TMS therapy for OCD. One study by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology saw an average reduction of symptoms by 30%. A month after treatment was finished, 38% of those being treated responded positively. Other studies have noted averages of a 30-35% reduction in symptoms as well.