Development of a BCI supported mobile response inhibition training for symptom relief in OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is with a prevalence of 2-3% one of the most common psychological disorders. People, however, generally struggle up to ten years before seeking treatment and prominent treatment methods have high dropout rates. As for every illness, early intervention is key, but until today there has been no real practical solution for self-help that is enjoyable enough to encourage people to continue with their treatment. Based on these data, we developed ShmutzCastle, a therapeutic neurogame targeted at patients with OCD, specifically those who suffer from cleaning compulsions and contamination obsessions. The aim of this project was to build a mobile game that trains OCD patients in their ability to better resist cleaning impulses, to better stop compulsive cleaning behavior, and to overcome contamination fear. The game incorporates evidence-based interventions including inhibitory control training and systematic desensitization, and uses cutting edge brain-computer interface (BCI) technology to produce an immersive game through which OCD patients learn to master obsessions and compulsion.