Investigating an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Based Exposure Therapy Intervention in Treatment-Refractory OCD and Related Disorders: Changes in Psychological Flexibility, Treatment Engagement, and Treatment Perceptions.

While exposure therapy is the most effective psychological treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, and traumatic stress-related disorders, it is not universally effective, indicating a need for further treatment optimization. This study investigated a shift in approach to exposure therapy with 29 treatment-refractory adults in an OCD clinic not responding to standard treatment, comprising habituation-based exposure therapy. Participants completed standard exposure as a continuation of standard clinic treatment, followed by an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) consultation session to assess psychological inflexibility processes interfering with treatment progress, and then an ACT-based exposure targeting behavior change through increasing psychological flexibility.

Delayed Bedtimes Are Associated With More Severe Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Intensive Residential Treatment.

Delays in behavioral and biological circadian rhythms (e.g., sleep timing, melatonin secretion) are found more frequently in individuals with severe and treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

"Fake it till You Make it"! Contaminating Rubber Hands ("Multisensory Stimulation Therapy") to Treat Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a deeply enigmatic psychiatric condition associated with immense suffering worldwide. Efficacious therapies for OCD, like exposure and response prevention (ERP), are sometimes poorly tolerated by patients. As many as 25% of patients refuse to initiate ERP mainly because they are too anxious to follow exposure procedures.

The rates of co-occurring behavioural addictions in treatment-seeking individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a preliminary report.

To assess the rates of co-occurring putative 'behavioural addictions' in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Twenty-three international centres specialising in the treatment of OCD were invited to participate in a survey of the rates of behavioural addictions and other relevant comorbidity within their samples. Sixteen of 23 (69.

Does Motivation Impact OCD Symptom Severity? An Exploration of Longitudinal Effects.

Understanding the role of patient motivation in OCD treatment is of clinical importance given the requisite autonomous role of patients in Exposure and Response Prevention. The present study investigated state- and trait-like relations between three variables: two previously established motivational constructs, readiness to change (RTC) and committed action (CA), derived from the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment, and OCD symptom severity as measured by the self-report Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS-SR). Utilizing a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) design, we assessed autoregressive, within-time correlations, and cross-lagged effects of RTC, CA, and Y-BOCS-SR scores at admission, month 1 of treatment, and discharge from an intensive/residential treatment program for OCD.

Empirically-derived response trajectories of intensive residential treatment in obsessive-compulsive disorder: A growth mixture modeling approach.

Background: This study investigated distinct trajectories of treatment response in a naturalistic intensive/residential treatment (IRT) program for adults with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We hypothesized that: (1) distinct trajectories would emerge and (2) demographic variables, psychiatric comorbidity, OCD symptom subtype, level of insight, previous exposure and response prevention (ERP) treatment, and quality of life, would differentially predict assignment to these trajectories.

Methods: Participants included 305 individuals with primary OCD admitted for IRT.

Treatments used for obsessive-compulsive disorder-An international perspective.

Objective: The objective of this study was to characterise international trends in the use of psychotropic medication, psychological therapies, and novel therapies used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Methods: Researchers in the field of OCD were invited to contribute summary statistics on the characteristics of their samples. Consistency of summary statistics across countries was evaluated.

Use of an Individual-Level Approach to Identify Cortical Connectivity Biomarkers in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Background: Existing functional connectivity studies of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) support a model of circuit dysfunction. However, these group-level observations have failed to yield neuroimaging biomarkers sufficient to serve as a test for the OCD diagnosis, predict current or future symptoms, or predict treatment response, perhaps because these studies failed to account for the substantial intersubject variability in structural and functional brain organization.

Methods: We used functional regions, localized in each of 41 individual OCD patients, to identify cortical connectivity biomarkers of both global and dimension-specific symptom severity and to detect functional connections that track changes in symptom severity following intensive residential treatment.

Validating an abbreviated version of the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire.

Objectives: A shorter version of the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-44) is needed to promote the use of this measure in research and increase our understanding of cognitive phenomena maintaining obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Additionally, an abbreviated version of the OBQ-44 would encourage frequent monitoring of dysfunctional beliefs in intensive care settings. This study aimed to validate a nine-item version of the questionnaire (OBQ-9).

Validation of the distress tolerance scale-short form in obsessive compulsive disorder.

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate the Distress Tolerance Scale-Short Form (DTS-SF), a modification of the original Distress Tolerance Scale, in a severe/complex sample of individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Currently, there are multiple self-report measurements of distress tolerance (DT), highlighting the need for a more refined measure.

Method: Participants included 222 individuals with a primary diagnosis of OCD (57% male, average age = 31) seeking intensive/residential treatment.

How willing are you? Willingness as a predictor of change during treatment of adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Objective: Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is an effective treatment for individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yet a substantial number of individuals with OCD do not fully respond to this intervention. Based on emerging experimental and clinical research on acceptance, this study sought to explore whether willingness to experience unpleasant thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations during ERP was associated with improved treatment response.

Methods: Two hundred eighty-eight adults with OCD receiving residential ERP provided self-rated willingness and other exposure-related variables during each daily coached ERP session.

REDUCED DISGUST PROPENSITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENT IN CONTAMINATION/WASHING SYMPTOMS IN OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER.

Objectives: Disgust is a well-established phenomenon with known neurobiological correlates. However, it remains unclear how or whether disgust changes with clinical treatment, because few longitudinal studies have tracked the association of disgust vulnerability and clinical symptoms in patient populations.

Methods: We assessed disgust propensity and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in 134 patients receiving intensive residential treatment for OCD.

Intensive residential treatment for severe obsessive-compulsive disorder: characterizing treatment course and predictors of response.

Background: Intensive residential treatment (IRT) is effective for severe, treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We sought to characterize predictors and course of response to IRT.

Methods: Admission, monthly, and discharge data were collected on individuals receiving IRT.

Attention training in individuals with generalized social phobia: A randomized controlled trial.

The authors conducted a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial to examine the efficacy of an attention training procedure in reducing symptoms of social anxiety in 44 individuals diagnosed with generalized social phobia (GSP). Attention training comprised a probe detection task in which pictures of faces with either a threatening or neutral emotional expression cued different locations on the computer screen. In the attention modification program (AMP), participants responded to a probe that always followed neutral faces when paired with a threatening face, thereby directing attention away from threat.

Increased activation of the anterior cingulate cortex during processing of disgust faces in individuals with social phobia.

Background: Researchers have examined the role of differential activation of various brain regions involved in processing emotional information in subjects with social phobia. These studies have focused mostly on the activation of the amygdala. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) also has been implicated in processing emotional information, but its role in social phobia has not been examined.