Clinical recommendations for the care of people with treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder when undergoing deep brain stimulation

Deep brain stimulation is an emerging therapy for treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder patients. Yet, accessibility is limited, treatment protocols are heterogeneous and there is no guideline or consensus on the best practices. Here, we combine evidence from scientific investigations, expert opinions and our clinical expertise to propose several clinical recommendations from the pre-operative, surgical and post-operative phases of deep brain stimulation care for treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder patients. A person-centered and biopsychosocial approach is adopted. Briefly, we discuss clinical characteristics associated with response, the use of improved educational materials, an evaluative consent process, comprehensive programming by an expert clinician, a more global assessment of treatment efficacy, multi-disciplinary adjunct psychotherapy and the importance of peer support programs. Furthermore, where gaps are identified, future research suggestions are made, including connectome surgical targeting, scientific evaluation of hardware models and health economic data. In addition, we encourage collaborative groups of data and knowledge sharing by way of a clinical registry and a peer group of programming clinicians. We aim to commence a discussion on the determinants of deep brain stimulation efficacy for treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder patients, a rare and severe patient group, and contribute to more standardized and evidence-based practices.