Treating OCD with deep brain stimulation
Sara Gordon is taking a drastic step to get relief from her severe obsessive compulsive disorder. The 25-year-old is having brain surgery. Ms. Gordon's OCD surfaced before high school and soon took over her life. "I would wash my hands every two or so minutes and every hand-wash was three minutes; I would take three, four hour showers," she said. During surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital, doctors implanted electrodes into her brain that are controlled remotely. "It interrupts some of circuitry that causes the vicious cycle of repetitive thoughts and behaviors," said Wayne Goodman, MD, of Mount Sinai. Deep brain stimulation has been successful in treating diseases such as Parkinson's, and doctors say early indications are about half of OCD patients see a significant improvement.
-Wayne Goodman, MD, Professor, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chief, Division of Tics, OCD and Related Disorders, The Mount Sinai Hospital, System Chair, Psychiatry, Mount Sinai Health System
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Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
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