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Description

Can computer games help reducing the OCD symptomatology?

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition where you have recurring thoughts and repetitive behaviours that you cannot control.
If you have OCD, you’ll usually experience frequent obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.
An obsession is an unwanted and unpleasant thought, image or urge that repeatedly enters your mind, causing feelings of anxiety, disgust or unease.
A compulsion is a repetitive behaviour or mental act that you feel you need to do to temporarily relieve the unpleasant feelings brought on by the obsessive thought.
What happens in the OCD Brain?
Technical terms will be used but I am going to explain them.
Dysregulation in the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuit has been implicated in the pathophysiology of OCD, as have decreased functional connectivity (FC) between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the prefrontal cortex and increased FC between the dACC and the basal ganglia.
What does this mean in lay terms?
The rational mind loses the ability to self regulate and the emotional part of the brain takes over. This results in poor ability of the people with OCD to control their thoughts.
OCD and distractive techniques
Distraction can lead to actively focus on a rewarding activity which will reduce the intensity and frequency of the difficult feelings. It is purposeful and meant to divert your attention away from the anxiety caused by OCD. It is making a deliberate choice to try to not think about the thoughts, images, or urges that bring undesirable feelings to the surface.
One of such a distractive activity is to play computer games. Intuitively that sounds good. But are there any studies to prove that? Yes, there are:
In 2018 Ji Sun Hong and colleagues conducted a study to investigate how “serious computer games” can reduce the OCD symptomatology. (I did not find out in the source what was the researcher’s criteria for “serious computer games”).
Fifteen OCD subjects and 15 healthy controls were recruited to study if “serious computer games” can reduce OCD symptomatology. All subjects completed specific questionnaires such as Yale–Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, the Beck Depressive Inventory, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. In addition, all subjects were scanned at baseline to assess brain FC using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.
After 3 weeks of gameplay, FC from the left dACC seed to the right frontal precentral gyrus and from the right dACC seed to the left inferior frontal gyrus and the right middle frontal gyrus, increased in the OCD group. Responders showed increased brain connectivity from the left dACC seed to the right superior frontal gyrus compared with nonresponders, which implies that the rational brain took back the control from the emotional brain and contribute to improving the OCD symptoms.
Conclusion
Serious games may improve symptoms in OCD and that this improvement may be related to increased brain functioning. This improvement is associated with improvement in brain functioning via a healthier connectivity between the rational and emotional brain.
References
Ji Sun Hong, Sun Mi Kim, Elias Aboujaoude, and Doug Hyun Han.Investigation of a Mobile “Serious Game” in the Treatment of Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder: A Pilot Study.Games for Health Journal.Oct 2018.317–326. doi.org/10.1089/g4h.2017.0158

Description

Can computer games help reducing the OCD symptomatology?

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition where you have recurring thoughts and repetitive behaviours that you cannot control.
If you have OCD, you’ll usually experience frequent obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.
An obsession is an unwanted and unpleasant thought, image or urge that repeatedly enters your mind, causing feelings of anxiety, disgust or unease.
A compulsion is a repetitive behaviour or mental act that you feel you need to do to temporarily relieve the unpleasant feelings brought on by the obsessive thought.
What happens in the OCD Brain?
Technical terms will be used but I am going to explain them.
Dysregulation in the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuit has been implicated in the pathophysiology of OCD, as have decreased functional connectivity (FC) between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the prefrontal cortex and increased FC between the dACC and the basal ganglia.
What does this mean in lay terms?
The rational mind loses the ability to self regulate and the emotional part of the brain takes over. This results in poor ability of the people with OCD to control their thoughts.
OCD and distractive techniques
Distraction can lead to actively focus on a rewarding activity which will reduce the intensity and frequency of the difficult feelings. It is purposeful and meant to divert your attention away from the anxiety caused by OCD. It is making a deliberate choice to try to not think about the thoughts, images, or urges that bring undesirable feelings to the surface.
One of such a distractive activity is to play computer games. Intuitively that sounds good. But are there any studies to prove that? Yes, there are:
In 2018 Ji Sun Hong and colleagues conducted a study to investigate how “serious computer games” can reduce the OCD symptomatology. (I did not find out in the source what was the researcher’s criteria for “serious computer games”).
Fifteen OCD subjects and 15 healthy controls were recruited to study if “serious computer games” can reduce OCD symptomatology. All subjects completed specific questionnaires such as Yale–Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, the Beck Depressive Inventory, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. In addition, all subjects were scanned at baseline to assess brain FC using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.
After 3 weeks of gameplay, FC from the left dACC seed to the right frontal precentral gyrus and from the right dACC seed to the left inferior frontal gyrus and the right middle frontal gyrus, increased in the OCD group. Responders showed increased brain connectivity from the left dACC seed to the right superior frontal gyrus compared with nonresponders, which implies that the rational brain took back the control from the emotional brain and contribute to improving the OCD symptoms.
Conclusion
Serious games may improve symptoms in OCD and that this improvement may be related to increased brain functioning. This improvement is associated with improvement in brain functioning via a healthier connectivity between the rational and emotional brain.
References
Ji Sun Hong, Sun Mi Kim, Elias Aboujaoude, and Doug Hyun Han.Investigation of a Mobile “Serious Game” in the Treatment of Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder: A Pilot Study.Games for Health Journal.Oct 2018.317–326. doi.org/10.1089/g4h.2017.0158