An Online Mindfulness-Based Group Intervention for Tics: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Current treatments for Tourette syndrome (TS) and persistent tic disorder (PTD) are often insufficiently effective, inaccessible, and frequently associated with adverse events. Thus, we must continue to develop and test effective, accessible, and safe treatment options.

Objective: We aimed to conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing a novel, videoconference-delivered group mindfulness-based intervention for tics (MBIT) to videoconference-delivered group psychoeducation, relaxation, and supportive therapy (PRST) for adults with TS or PTD.

Clinical characteristics among sexual minority and heterosexual women with body dysmorphic disorder.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a common disorder associated with substantial comorbidity, impairment, and poor quality of life. Research on subcultural variations of BDD is limited but may impact assessment and treatment of the disorder. The current study examined clinical features in a sample of sexual minority (SM; n = 43) and heterosexual (n = 155) women with diagnosed BDD.

Which Symptoms Bridge Symptoms of Depression and Symptoms of Eating Disorders?: A Network Analysis.

Depression is a common comorbid mental illness in eating disorders (EDs). Network theory focuses on interactions between symptoms, but findings from network analyses of EDs and depression need to be replicated to make reliable claims about the nature of symptomatic interplay. We used cross-sectional data of 366 online-recruited participants with clinically elevated ED symptomatology and constructed a regularized partial correlation network with ED and depression symptoms.

Reliability and Validity of the Self-Report Version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale Modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Despite its frequent use in research studies, the self-report version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD-YBOCS-SR) is yet to be formally validated. The present investigation sought to examine the psychometric properties of the BDD-YBOCS-SR across three different samples. In Study 1 ( = 847), we sought to explore the factor structure of the BDD-YBOCS-SR.

A self-report assessment of appearance-related safety behaviours: Development and psychometric properties.

Background: Individuals with appearance concerns may engage in maladaptive appearance-related safety behaviours aimed at checking, hiding or fixing perceived flaws in their appearance.

Aims: This investigation examined the psychometric properties of a newly developed measure of appearance-related safety behaviours across three different studies.

Method: The first two studies utilized exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively, to understand the factor structure of the measure.

An Evaluation of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptom Scale as a Measure of Treatment Response and Remission in Psychotherapy and Medication Trials.

The Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptom Scale (BDD-SS) is a self-report tool that captures an array of representative behavioral and cognitive symptoms commonly displayed by individuals with BDD. The BDD-SS is regularly used among experts in the field, though its utility as a measure of treatment response has not yet been formally evaluated. Results from two clinical trials of BDD treatment were pooled from an archived database to create a sample of 220 BDD participants who received either psychosocial or medication-based interventions for BDD.

Feasibility and acceptability of an online mindfulness-based group intervention for adults with tic disorders.

Background: Preliminary research suggests that a mindfulness-based treatment approach may be beneficial for adults with tic disorders. In the present study, we report on the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and symptomatic effect of a novel online mindfulness-based group intervention for adults with Tourette syndrome or persistent tic disorder. Data from this study will directly inform the conduct of a funded randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy of this intervention to another active psychological intervention.

A virtual reality study of cognitive biases in body dysmorphic disorder.

Previous research shows that individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) misinterpret ambiguous social information in a negative and threatening manner. These erroneous threat appraisals are thought to maintain disorder symptomatology and psychosocial impairment by reinforcing individuals' distorted self-image and ideas of social undesirability. Thus, maladaptive interpretation biases represent an important treatment target for this population; however, existing bias assessments and modification protocols are limited by the hypothetical and distal nature of scenarios and do not capture momentary experiential threat processes.

A Multimethod Analysis of Incompleteness and Visual "Not Just Right" Experiences in Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) often report engaging in repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing feelings of imperfection anchored to their appearance. "Not just right" experiences (NJREs) and incompleteness (INC) are constructs related to perfectionism that have traditionally been studied in obsessive-compulsive disorder, though recent research has also linked these phenomena to BDD. We sought to replicate and extend this research via two studies.

Digital Biomarkers of Social Anxiety Severity: Digital Phenotyping Using Passive Smartphone Sensors.

Background: Social anxiety disorder is a highly prevalent and burdensome condition. Persons with social anxiety frequently avoid seeking physician support and rarely receive treatment. Social anxiety symptoms are frequently underreported and underrecognized, creating a barrier to the accurate assessment of these symptoms.

Interpretation Bias Modification Versus Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Social Anxiety Disorder: A Web-Based Controlled Trial.

Computerized interpretation bias modification (IBM) programs show promise for the treatment of anxiety disorders, though they have rarely been compared to active treatments. The goal of the present study was to compare the efficacy of IBM to progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) for the treatment of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Sixty-four participants with SAD were recruited from across the United States and randomly assigned to 8 internet-delivered twice-weekly sessions of IBM or PMR.

Development and Pilot Testing of a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Digital Service for Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) has a severe presentation and chronic course when untreated. Although effective BDD treatments exist, most individuals do not have access to them. We therefore developed and pilot tested the first smartphone-delivered individual cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) treatment for adults with BDD.

Effects of safety behavior fading on appearance concerns and related symptoms.

Objective: Appearance-related safety behaviors (SBs; e.g., mirror checking, grooming) have been implicated in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), eating disorders, and social anxiety disorder.

An experimental test of the role of appearance-related safety behaviors in body dysmorphic disorder, social anxiety, and body dissatisfaction.

Individuals with appearance concerns engage in "safety behaviors" (SBs) aimed at checking, hiding, fixing, and reducing threat associated with their perceived flaw in appearance. Appearance-related SBs are important in contemporary accounts of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), though they are also relevant to social anxiety (SAD) and eating disorders. The present study examined the extent to which appearance-related SBs contribute to the development of disorder-specific symptoms and maladaptive cognitions.

An initial investigation of the unique relationship between disgust propensity and body dysmorphic disorder.

Disgust is a universal emotion that has received recent empirical attention for its potential role in various forms of psychopathology. We conducted two studies using varying methods to explore the relationship between disgust propensity, a construct related to obsessive-compulsive symptomatology, and symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Study 1 found a significant and unique (i.

"Not just right" experiences account for unique variance in eating pathology.

"Not just right" experiences (NJREs) are uncomfortable sensations of incompleteness linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder; however, NJREs may be transdiagnostic and play a role in eating pathology. The current study examined relations between NJREs and eating pathology in undergraduate students. Participants (n = 248) completed self-report and behavioral assessments.

Effects of an Appearance-Focused Interpretation Training Intervention on Eating Disorder Symptoms.

Background: Previous research suggests that computerized interpretation bias modification (IBM) techniques may be useful for modifying thoughts and behaviours relevant to eating pathology; however, little is known about the utility of IBM for decreasing specific eating disorder (ED) symptoms (e.g. bulimia, drive for thinness).

Hostile interpretation training for individuals with alcohol use disorder and elevated trait anger: A controlled trial of a web-based intervention.

High trait anger is associated with more severe alcohol use problems, and alcohol has been found to facilitate aggressive behavior among individuals with high trait anger. Treatments focused on a sample with alcohol use disorder with elevated anger could reduce alcohol use problems, as well as violence and aggression. We sought to examine the efficacy of interpretation bias modification for hostility (IBM-H) in a sample with high trait anger and alcohol use disorder (AUD).

A multi-method analysis of distress tolerance in body dysmorphic disorder.

Distress tolerance (DT) is a transdiagnostic construct linked to multiple psychiatric disorders. We conducted three studies using different methods to investigate the relationship between DT and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Study 1 found a significant relationship between low DT and more severe BDD symptoms in an adult community sample (N=81).

'Not just right' experiences and incompleteness in body dysmorphic disorder.

The current studies examined the role of 'not just right' experiences (NJREs) and incompleteness (INC) in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). In Study 1, a clinical BDD sample endorsed more severe NJREs than healthy controls, when controlling co-occurring symptoms of depression and anxiety. In Study 2, INC predicted reactivity to an in vivo task designed to evoke BDD-related concerns in an unselected sample.

Modifying interpretation biases in body dysmorphic disorder: Evaluation of a brief computerized treatment.

Individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD; N = 40) were enrolled in a randomized, four-session trial comparing interpretation bias modification (IBM) training designed to target social evaluation- and appearance-related interpretation biases with a placebo control training condition (PC). Sessions took place over the course of two weeks (two sessions per week). Analyses indicated that, relative to the PC condition, IBM led to a significant increase in benign biases and reduction in threat biases at post-treatment.

Contamination-Focused Exposure as a Treatment for Disgust-Based Fears: A Preliminary Test in Spider-Fearful Women.

Background: Disgust is thought to play a prominent role in multiple anxiety disorders and fears, including spider phobia, though little attention has been given to specific treatment strategies that may be effective for multiple disgust-based fears.

Aims: In the present study, we evaluated contamination-focused exposure as a potential transdiagnostic treatment strategy for disgust-based fears in a spider fearful sample.

Method: Women with significant spider fear were randomized to three 30-minute sessions of exposure therapy involving repeated contact with a dirt mixture (n=17) or a waitlist control condition (n=17).

Six In Vivo Assessments of Compulsive Behavior: A Validation Study Using the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised.

Due to the complex and heterogeneous nature of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), movement toward multimodal assessment has become necessary to more precisely understand the nature of the disorder and interrelations between symptom clusters. Thus, the present study utilized large undergraduate samples (total N = 800) to test the validity of six in vivo assessments of OC symptoms (i.e.