Potential new OCD treatment could prove life-changing

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chances are, you know someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder -- or OCD.

An estimated one in 50 people have OCD, and a potential new treatment could be life-changing.

OCD can manifest itself in countless ways. For some people, it's excessive hand-washing, to the point of bleeding. Others repetitively flip light switches or check locks.

[After 15 years, Piedmont Medical gets go-ahead over Atrium to build Fort Mill hospital]

For college freshman Rachel Johnson, it was obsessive thoughts.

Biohaven Pharmaceuticals is testing a new medication. Unlike current drugs that are used broadly for depression, anxiety and OCD, the new medication specifically tackles OCD.

"It actually helps reduce the amount of glutamate that's in the brain that may be causing a lot of the anxiety and the rituals," said Dr. David Purselle, a psychiatrist.

The clinical trial will last two or three years.

"The fact that they're putting time and trying to find something that targets OCD and targets a different chemical is super great," Johnson said.

Click here for more information.

Cox Media Group