OCD Clinical Trials 2023

What is Obsessive-compulsive Disorder?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD is a mental condition wherein a person may have habits or sensations that can be regarded as an extreme compulsion to do something without relent. These urges and thoughts can occur again and again.

Though people with OCD may do these things repeatedly, they often do not enjoy doing it and may take a lot of time out of their day, affecting their social and work lives.

These habits can come in many forms, but the most common ones include:

• Not being able to stop you from securing locks, light switches, ovens, or stoves and having an overall lack of security.
• Being paranoid that you may have certain medical conditions.
• Germaphobia and being too uptight with handling dirty things.
• Being obsessed with symmetry and fixing the order of things, being bothered by things out of balance or out of order.
• Intrusive thoughts and not being able to abandon them.

Why is OCD Being Studied In Clinical Trials?

OCD has a lot of real-life implications, including not functioning properly, struggling to maintain focus and the onset of many mental health issues. Many OCD clinical trials aim to study the brain further and how it controls people with OCD, as well as going into the memories and trauma that person has that may factor into the diagnosis.

How Does OCD Treatment Work?

OCD treatment often goes one or two ways, psychological therapy or medication. Therapy involves working with a professional and licensed therapist to help discuss your problems and analyze them to the point that you may recognize what’s wrong and how you can fight them.

Most people find dissecting their fears, obsessions, and anxiety difficult at first, and can top about 10 hours of therapy per month, which will only extend the more severe your OCD is.

Medication is another route a person can take, with most doctors prescribing an antidepressant called SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. This

antidepressant helps symptoms by injecting serotonin into your brain. Though it may take some time to take effect, it has shown to be an effective method of putting OCD at ease. Intake can take a few months up until a year. Side effects may arise from gradual intake, and it is recommended to check up with your doctor again to make sure that the symptoms are not getting out of hand.

What Are Some of the Breakthrough Clinical Trials Involving OCD?

2016 - a study in biological psychiatry done at Duke University may have found a breakthrough in muting OCD symptoms. Researchers at Duke Univesity have been breaking down the biological background and origin of depressive disorders, finding a link to OCD through overstimulated frontostriatal activity. Standard treatment for OCD and other depressive disorder take up a lot of time to take effect, ranging from at least three (3) weeks to several months. This is because serotonin reuptake inhibitors take a long time to reach and activate inside the brain, which scientists at Duke University believe to be from a lack of understanding of the mechanisms. This study is significant because there might be a faster, more efficient way to identify chemical imbalances that cause OCD and use a better remedy for those abnormalities.

2019 - Artificial Intelligence has seen a lot of improvements in the past few years, and it is no different in the field of medicine and depression treatment. AI technology can now pinpoint the chemicals in the brain that are associated with a neural activity that causes depression and OCD. Through this, antibodies can be administered you counter-act these chemical imbalances. This study is significant because it finds empirical problems and has empirical solutions, having an accurate diagnosis as well as accurate treatment of OCD.

Who Are The Key Opinion Leaders On OCD Clinical Trial Research?

Elizabeth Mcingvale is the current director at McLean OCDI Houston while also being a lecturer at Harvard University. She has especially put a focus on obsessive-compulsive disorder and has founded the Peace of Mind Foundation, which offers self-help in six different languages and has found over 4000 adherents.

Dean Mckay is a professor of psychology at Fordham University, and he has his own research lab called the compulsive, obsessive, and anxiety program, where he actively engages in research with his students on OCD.

Top Hospitals For OCD Clinical Trials

The Baylor College of Medicine is currently holding ten (10) active OCD clinical trials, having started trials in 2017. This makes it the current top hospital to go to according to Power’s data, and with it being one of the largest medical centers in the world, its programs are trusted.

To see more of the hospitals for OCD Clinical Trials, see the list below.

Top Treatments for OCD Clinical Trials

According to Power’s data, there are four top treatments for OCD clinical trials, namely Celecoxib, cognitive bias modification for interpretation bias, focused ultrasound, and troriluzole, with two (2) active trials each.

To see more of the top treatments for OCD clinical trials, see the list below.

Top Cities for OCD Clinical Trials

With the Baylor College of Medicine being located in Houston, this makes the city the top destination for OCD clinical trials as it has a total of 16 active trials.

To see more top cities for OCD clinical trials, see the list below.

How Many OCD Clinical Trials are Open to Youth and/or Seniors?

Power’s Data has shown that for OCD patients below the age of 18, there are seven (7) active trials recruiting. For patients above the age of 18, a large selection of 40 active trials is active.

To see more OCD clinical trials, see the list below.

Most Recent OCD Clinical Trials

Power’s data has shown that the most recent one is Active tDCS for obsessive-compulsive disorder, which started last September 1st, 2023.

To see more recent OCD clinical trials, see the list below.

Resources:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/obsessive-compulsive-disorder

https://www.inverse.com/article/18751-ocd-research-symptoms-minutes

https://www.brainsway.com/knowledge-center/breakthroughs-in-ocd-treatment/, https://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(16)32380-0/fulltext