As many of you know, Jacob has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He was diagnosed shortly after the automobile accident that killed Jim’s dad. While the accident was not the cause of his OCD, it did trigger his anxiety to develop into the full-blown disease. Unless you live with a mental health patient 24/7, it is truly hard to understand the depth of this particular illness. And while Jacob’s OCD was initially labeled severe, it has progressed to more moderate levels, and even mild levels over the years. I promise to write more about OCD in the future – like how it is so much more prevalent than diseases like autism and schizophrenia, for example, yet it does not receive half of the attention or funding as those disorders. For anyone interested in learning a bit more now, check out some of these websites:
OCD - What It Is
Anyway, Jacob eagerly agreed to participate in a pediatric OCD clinical research study at U of M recently. The child psychiatrist leading the study is attempting to determine how brain development in children with OCD differs from that of children without the disorder. See This. We went last week for an “interview” that lasted an entire afternoon, and then a few days later, Jacob went back to the campus for an MRI. He had to lie inside the machine for an hour and look into a slanted mirror situated above his head in order to view a computer that was rigged up behind him. He also had a hand-held mouse-like device that he used to respond to commands from the computer, while the MRI machine whirred and clunked around him. After all was said and done, Jacob raved about how fun the study had been, especially the MRI! He was also excited to learn that he would receive $100 in compensation from U of M. The results of this particular research will be published next year, and the ultimate goal of the investigation is to make new treatments available for kids suffering from OCD. We look forward to more and more studies occurring in the future so this OCD monster can someday be eradicated!
Anyway, Jacob eagerly agreed to participate in a pediatric OCD clinical research study at U of M recently. The child psychiatrist leading the study is attempting to determine how brain development in children with OCD differs from that of children without the disorder. See This. We went last week for an “interview” that lasted an entire afternoon, and then a few days later, Jacob went back to the campus for an MRI. He had to lie inside the machine for an hour and look into a slanted mirror situated above his head in order to view a computer that was rigged up behind him. He also had a hand-held mouse-like device that he used to respond to commands from the computer, while the MRI machine whirred and clunked around him. After all was said and done, Jacob raved about how fun the study had been, especially the MRI! He was also excited to learn that he would receive $100 in compensation from U of M. The results of this particular research will be published next year, and the ultimate goal of the investigation is to make new treatments available for kids suffering from OCD. We look forward to more and more studies occurring in the future so this OCD monster can someday be eradicated!
Jacob sliding into the MRI machine.
Jacob preparing to do his part to advance science.
1 comment:
I don't know if I could handle an hour long MRI. Jake's a real trooper. Between that and Tae Kwon Do, he is probably tougher than I am in every way now.
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