Implanted Device Approved for Severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

THURSDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Medtronic Inc's Reclaim DBS Therapy device has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to deliver electrical brain stimulation to people with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the agency said Thursday in a news release.

The device is approved for people in whom medication and psychotherapy haven't worked, the agency said. OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurring negative thoughts or the uncontrolled desire to perform repetitive behaviors such as hand washing or cleaning.

The Reclaim system uses a small electrical generator to block abnormal nerve signals to the brain. The battery-powered device is implanted near the abdomen or collar bone and is connected to electrodes implanted in the brain.

The product was granted a so-called humanitarian device exemption to treat a condition affecting fewer than 4,000 people annually in the United States, the FDA said.

People who get electric shock therapy should not be implanted with the Reclaim device, nor should those who need an MRI or a deep tissue heat treatment called diathermy, the agency said.

More information

To learn more about OCD, visit the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.