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Janet Singer Updated: Sep 9th 2011

For people who are suffering for any reason, the internet can offer ready-made support. Those with OCD, for example, can visit blogs, forums, mental health sites, and individual health care provider sites dedicated to their disorder. Now it seems things have gone one step further. A recent pilot study of the effectiveness of ICBT (Internet Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) shows promising results. Twenty-three patients underwent a fifteen week ICBT program “with therapist support consisting of psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring and exposure with response prevention. At post-treatment, 61% of participants had a clinically significant improvement and 43% no longer fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of OCD. The treatment also resulted in statistically significant improvements in self-rated OCD symptoms, general functioning and depression.”

OCFighter, based in the United Kingdom, is a CCBT (Computer-aided CBT) program that has been used widely for over six years. While it began as a phone-interactive-voice response program that included a workbook, it is now in the process of being adapted to the internet. Shown to be quite successful in multiple studies, OCFighter has been used in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada.

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http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=44501&cn=6

Successful Prevention Program For Postpartum OCD Developed By UM Researcher

The birth of a baby can elicit many emotions, from joy and excitement to fear and uncertainty. But it can also trigger unexpected difficulties with anxiety, in particular with postpartum Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Psychologist Kiara Timpano from the University of Miami (UM) and her collaborators developed an effective program for the prevention of postpartum obsessive compulsive symptoms. The findings are reported online ahead of print by the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

“Postpartum depression has received much attention, but anxiety related issues, especially obsessive compulsive symptoms, can also be devastating to mothers and their families,” says Timpano, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at UM College of Arts and Sciences and principal investigator of the study. “Many women experiencing these difficulties are not getting the services they need because they don’t even know that what they are experiencing has a label and can be helped.”

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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/233058.php

Janet Singer Updated: Aug 22nd 2011

Dan would sit in a chair for hours, “stuck” and unable to move. He couldn’t eat, socialize, or enter most buildings. My son was suffering from severe OCD, yet I couldn’t help but feel lucky. The reason? He was willing to do whatever it took to get better.

This is not always the case. In this wonderful article on recovery avoidance, the authors suggest that recovery avoidance is one of the main reasons why the majority of OCD sufferers do not receive appropriate treatment. I personally know of some young adults with significant OCD who are living at home and not receiving treatment of any kind. As an advocate for OCD awareness, I jumped at the chance to enlighten their families as to the benefits of Exposure Response Prevention Therapy. Turns out they already knew about this therapy and where and how to get help. But their loved one was not willing, or able, to accept this help. This can be heartbreaking for the entire family.

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http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=44328&cn=6Using Technology