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Updated: Feb 23, 2026
Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
Published on: November 25, 2025
Compulsive skin-picking behavior after deep brain stimulation in a patient with refractory obsessive-compulsive
Chun-Hung Chang1, Shin-Yuan Chen, Sheng-Tzung Tsai
1Department of Psychiatry, China Medical University Hospital Institute of Clinical Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung Department of Neurosurgery Department of Psychiatry, Tzu-Chi General Hospital Institute of Medical Sciences, Tzu-Chi University, Hualien City, Hualien, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Rational:
The therapeutic effect of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been studied, but complications after this treatment have rarely been noted.
Patient Concerns:
A 28-year-old man with treatment-resistant OCD received bilateral ventral capsule/ventral striatum stimulation for 12 months.
Diagnosis:
Compulsive skin-picking behavior and infection were noted following 12-month DBS treatment.
Intervention:
We removed the implanted right-side pulse generator.
Outcomes:
The local inflammation and skin-picking behavior gradually improved. The stimulator device was re-implanted 4 months later.
Lessons:
We suggest that patients with the OC spectrum should be evaluated for skin-picking behaviors during presurgical and postsurgical follow-up to reduce the infection and device removal rates.
