Novel treatments for OCD: caffeine
In this blog we look at a recent study of caffeine for treating OCD (Naftalovich, 2020). We provide a bit of background on why caffeine might be used and then we describe the study design, the main findings, before discussing the clinical implications. Introduction How does caffeine affect the body? Essentially, caffeine is a central...Continue reading→
Novel treatments for depression: psilocybin
There has been a lot of interest in psilocybin as a treatment for several mental disorders, but the evidence is only emerging. In this blog we cover a recent study looking at psilocybin as a treatment for depression (Davis et al, 2020) and discuss what the implications for patient treatment might be. What is psilocybin? Psilocybin...Continue reading→
Delays in presenting with OCD
It is widely reported that people with OCD wait a long time before seeking help for their OCD, and they wait even longer before getting effective treatment. The generally-accepted figures are that: People with OCD wait, on average, eleven years with symptoms before they seek help, and; Wait 17 years from onset of OCD to...Continue reading→
The effects of COVID-19 pandemic on OCD symptoms
Introduction It is highly likely that the COVID-19 pandemic will have significant adverse effects on the majority of mental disorders, including OCD. This is in addition to widely-reported negative effects on whole population wellbeing. In a recent Danish study looking at effects in young people, Nissen et al [1] used a questionnaire to assess the...Continue reading→
Evidence review: N-acetylcysteine for OCD
This review has been updated You're reading the older version of this review. Please visit the updated version. Introduction N-acetylcysteine is thought to regulate glutamate neurotransmission in the brain, and also acts as a potential anti-oxidant. It increases the amount of extracellular glutamate by enhancing the activity of the cystine/ glutamate transporter. There are a number...Continue reading→
Delivering treatment for OCD during a pandemic
Introduction The pandemic has had a dramatic effect on the whole of the NHS, but it has also affected the availability of services for OCD. Not only that, but the nature of the pandemic will have had effects on many people with OCD; particularly those with contamination obsessions and cleaning compulsions. In this article, I...Continue reading→
OCD severity in people seen by the AIS
Introduction People sometimes wonder how severe patients being seen by a specialist service are. The following is a description of the severity of symptoms that individuals seen by the AIS present with, based on a relatively large sample of patients seen over the last 14 years. Demographics The data come from 81 patients seen between...Continue reading→