Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is the third most common psychological disorder and is often very debilitating for those inflicted. Current treatments provide promise for those inflicted but between 15-40 % of those treated in studies do not respond to the treatments. Additionally, 25% of participants will refuse treatment and another 3-12% will drop out of treatment. Thus, further research needs to be conducted on the treatment of OCD. Our intervention for OCD has emerged from a new, empirically-based behavioral approach focusing on strategies designed to promote acceptance, rather than the suppression or change of problematic thoughts and feelings. Promising pilot data suggesting that an abbreviated version of our intervention significantly decreases compulsions in those with OCD while maintaining high treatment acceptability. The difference between the proposed treatment, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and current treatments is that ACT does not assist the client in changing or altering his or her obsessions in an attempt to decrease compulsions. Instead, it focuses on stepping back from ones obsessions and focusing behavior change on following ones values rather than decreasing uncomfortable private events such as anxiety or obsessions. This is an extremely novel approach to the treatment of OCD that could possibly have very high impact. Our overall goals for this project are to develop and implement an intervention for OCD and to do so from a conceptually and functionally different avenue than is generally practiced in the psychological community. This investigation also includes measures to assess the psychological processes through which changes of compulsive behavior occur. ? ? ?
| Twohig, Michael P; Hayes, Steven C; Plumb, Jennifer C et al. (2010) A randomized clinical trial of acceptance and commitment therapy versus progressive relaxation training for obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Consult Clin Psychol 78:705-16 |
| Biglan, Anthony; Hayes, Steven C; Pistorello, Jacqueline (2008) Acceptance and commitment: implications for prevention science. Prev Sci 9:139-52 |
