An Observational Study of OCD Patients Treated With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background and Objectives: While the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for general mental health and the increase in anxiety and depression are clear, less is known about the potential effect of the pandemic on OCD. The purpose of this study is to collect new data to monitor the symptomatic status of patients with OCD during the period of emergency due to COVID-19 and to make a comparison between two psychodiagnostic evaluations.Methods: Eleven OCD patients and their psychotherapists were recruited. All patients had a specific psychodiagnostic assessment for OCD (SCL-90; OCI-R; Y-BOCS self-report) performed between December 2019 and January 2020 (t0), and undertook cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure and prevention of response protocol (ERP) before the lockdown. The psychodiagnostic assessment carried out at t0 was re-administered (t1) to all patients, together with a set of qualitative questions collected through an online survey. The respective therapists were asked to document the status of the therapy and the monitoring of symptoms through use of a semi-structured interview (Y-BOCS) and a qualitative interview. Non-parametric analyses were conducted.Results: Patients reported a significant decrease in OCD symptoms. Data analysis showed a decrease in the scores across t0 and at t1 on the Y-BOCS (SR) total self-report, and on OCD symptoms' severity assessed by means of the OCI-r and SCL-90 r OC subscale, for 11 participants. Relating to the measures detected by psychotherapists, marginally significant improvements and lower scores were found in the Y-BOCS (I). An improvement in symptoms was noticed by 90.9% of the clinical sample; this was confirmed by 45.4% of the therapists, who claimed moderate progress in their patients.Conclusions: The data collected through standardized measurements at two different times, albeit relative to a small sample, assume relevance from a clinical point of view. In the literature, some studies document the worsening of OCD. However, in many studies, the type of treatment, the detection time, and the intervention period are not well-specified. These results confirm the effectiveness of CBT/ERP as an elective treatment for OCD through a specific intervention procedure.

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Sex Offenders: Treat or Punish? (Community Quick Survey on Sex Offenders)

ANIMA Indonesian Psychological Journal ◽

10.24123/aipj.v31i3.573 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 143-148

Author(s):

Rossy Sintya Marthasari

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽

Sex Offenders ◽

Death Penalty ◽

Online Survey ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Pharmacological Therapy ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

The Internet ◽

Ordinary People ◽

Chemical Castration

The aim of this study was to collect data of what ordinary people think on chemical castration and the proper punishment for sex offenders. An online survey was conducted through a questionnaire (N = 36; 19 males and 17 females). Average age was between 19 and 61; all participants have heard and known about sexual harassment. Results showed that 21% of respondents concluded that the Internet was the main cause, 36% accused the pornographic films, 18% said that the harassment was due to how the victims behave and dress themselves, and 21% said that psychopathological factors also played a role. Most of the respondents advised that the proper punishment should be death penalty (47%), while 29% chose the chemical castration and 20% chose imprisonment. Since psychoterapy (in this context cognitive-behavioral therapy) combined with pharmacological therapy has shown better outcome compared to monotherapy, the author considers to involve cognitive behavioral therapy as part of rehabilitation, so psychotherapy should be part of punishment in lieu of chemical castration. Causes underlying the sexual harassments especially the psy-chological aspects are discussed.

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Beyond basic communication: The role of the mother tongue in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

International Journal of Bilingualism ◽

10.1177/1367006920902522 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 881-892

Author(s):

Michal Tannenbaum ◽

Eden Har

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Mother Tongue ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Therapeutic Process ◽

Point Of View ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Theoretical Understanding ◽

Complex Process ◽

Understanding Emotions

Immigration is a crisis-prone, complex process, often involving the need to acquire a new language, frequently at the expense of the mother tongue. Thus, the phenomenon of immigrants requiring various forms of mental health assistance while having limited fluency in the therapist’s language is widespread. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has become a widely prevalent therapeutic approach in many countries, including countries absorbing immigrants. This article reviews case studies that relate to the use of CBT with immigrants, both in individual and group sessions, focusing on the position of the patient’s mother tongue in the process. Research has persistently shown that the mother tongue is emotionally significant—using it, being exposed to it, expressing emotions and understanding emotions expressed in it, having access to it and to memories encoded in it, and the like. Given these dimensions, it plays a potentially important role in the therapeutic process. The pivotal question, then, is whether a therapeutic process that is essentially emotional can be effective if the mother tongue is not an inherent part of it. This article addresses this issue while examining the mother tongue’s position in CBT, the therapists’ awareness of these issues, the accommodations, if any, made in this regard, the therapists’ point of view, and suggestions for improving the use of CBT with immigrants. It is written to be of relevance to a diverse audience including researchers from varied disciplinary backgrounds, therapists who work with multilingual patients (especially immigrants or members of other minority groups) or are multilingual themselves. Our aims, therefore, are to contribute to the theoretical understanding of the mother tongue’s centrality in emotional processes and to offer some practical recommendations for therapists and training institutions.

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Does Homework “Matter” in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescent Depression?

Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy ◽

10.1891/0889-8391.26.4.390 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 390-404 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Anne D. Simons ◽

C. Nathan Marti ◽

Paul Rohde ◽

Cara C. Lewis ◽

John Curry ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽

Clinical Improvement ◽

Adolescent Depression ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Antidepressant Medication ◽

Self Report ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Homework Completion ◽

Over Time

Objective: Examine the degree to which homework completion is associated with various indices of clinical improvement in adolescents with depression treated with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) either as a monotherapy and in combination with antidepressant medication. Method: This study used data from the Treatment of Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS), which compared the efficacy of CBT, fluoxetine (FLX), the combination of CBT and FLX (COMB), and a pill placebo (PBO; TADS Team, 2003, 2004, 2005). Current analyses included only TADS participants in the CBT (n = 111) or COMB (n = 107) conditions. Analyses focused on the relations between partial and full homework completion and a dichotomized measure of clinical response, evaluator and self-report ratings of depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and suicidality. Results: Homework completion significantly predicted clinical improvement, decrease in self-reported hopelessness, suicidality, and depression—but not in evaluator-rated depressive symptoms—in adolescents treated with CBT only. These relationships were almost completely absent in the COMB condition. The only significant COMB finding was that partially completed homework was related to decrease in hopelessness over time. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the ability of therapists and clients to collaboratively develop and complete between-session assignments is associated with response to CBT, self-report of severity of depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and suicidality and may be integral to optimizing the effects of CBT when delivered as a monotherapy.

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Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing in Child Victims of Domestic Violence

Iranian Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.18502/ijps.v14i1.425 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Nasrin Jaberghaderi ◽

Mansour Rezaei ◽

Mitra Kolivand ◽

Azita Shokoohi

Keyword(s):

Domestic Violence ◽

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽

Eye Movement ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Self Report ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Individual Treatment ◽

Control Group ◽

Child Victims ◽

Control Groups

Objective: This study was conducted to examine and compare the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in child victims of domestic violence (child physical abuse and/or witnessing parents’ conflicts). Method: A total of 139 girls and boys, aged 8-12 years, were randomly assigned into CBT (n = 40), EMDR (n = 40), or control groups (n=59). All children received up to 12 individual treatment sessions over 4–12 weeks. Blind assessment was done before and 2 weeks after the treatment and on a variety of teacher-parent-rated and self-report measures of posttraumatic symptomatology, depression, anxiety, and behavior problems. Results: CBT and EMDR were effective in ameliorating psychological sequelae of victims of domestic violence on the measured variables (p =.001). Comparison of the treatment and control groups suggested moderate to high practical significance in treatment groups vs controls. Conclusion: Both CBT and EMDR can help children to greatly recover from the outcomes of domestic violence in comparison with control group. Moreover, structured trauma treatments are strongly recommended and can be used for children

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Effectiveness of Usual-Care Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents with Depressive Disorders Rated by Parents and Patients

10.21203/rs.3.rs-61613/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Walter ◽

Jana Buschsieweke ◽

Lydia Dachs ◽

Hildegard Goletz ◽

Anja Goertz-Dorten ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽

Depressive Disorders ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Routine Care ◽

Self Report ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Effect Sizes ◽

Control Group ◽

Parent Rating ◽

Wide Range

Abstract BackgroundDepressive disorders are common in adolescence and are associated with a wide range of negative long-term outcomes. Highly controlled randomized controlled trials (RCT) provide considerable evidence for the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) as a treatment for depression, but the effectiveness of CBT under routine care conditions remains unproven.MethodsIn the present observational study, the changes achieved through routine CBT in adolescents with depressive disorders treated in a university outpatient clinic were analyzed, and compared to a historical control group of adolescents with depressive disorders who had received treatment as usual. At the start and end of treatment (pre- and post-assessment), parent and self-ratings of the German versions of the Youth Self-Report (YSR), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and rating scales for depressive symptoms (FBB-DES, SBB-DES) were assessed. A total of 331 adolescents aged 11–18 years with complete data were assessed for the main analysis.ResultsThe analysis yielded small to large pre-post effect sizes (Cohen’s d) for the total sample (d = 0.33 to d = 0.82) and large effect sizes for adolescents who were rated in the clinical range on each (sub)scale at the start of treatment (d = 0.85 to d = 1.30). When comparing patients in the clinical range with historical controls, medium to large net effect sizes (d = 0.53 to d = 2.09) emerged for the total scores in self- and parent rating. However, a substantial proportion of the sample remained in the clinical range at the end of treatment.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that CBT is effective for adolescents with depressive disorders when administered under routine care conditions, but the results must be interpreted with caution due to the lack of a direct control condition.Trial registrationDRKS, DRKS00021518. Registered 27 April 2020 - Retrospectively registered, http://drks.de

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Treatment Preferences for Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Japan: Online Survey (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.12635 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Daisuke Sato ◽

Chihiro Sutoh ◽

Yoichi Seki ◽

Eiichi Nagai ◽

Eiji Shimizu

Keyword(s):

Drug Therapy ◽

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽

Online Survey ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Low Cost ◽

Medication Use ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Treatment Preferences ◽

Face To Face ◽

Sleep Medication

BACKGROUND The internet has the potential to increase individuals’ access to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for insomnia at low cost. However, treatment preferences regarding internet-based computerized CBT for insomnia have not been fully examined. OBJECTIVE The aim was to conduct an anonymous online survey to evaluate treatment preferences for insomnia among patients with insomnia and individuals without insomnia. METHODS We developed an online survey to recruit a total of 600 participants living in the Kanto district in Japan. There were three subgroups: 200 medicated individuals with insomnia, 200 unmedicated individuals with insomnia, and 200 individuals without insomnia. The survey asked questions about the severity of the respondent’s insomnia (using the Athens Insomnia Scale), the frequency of sleep medication use and the level of satisfaction with sleep medication use, the respondent’s knowledge of CBT, his or her preference for CBT for insomnia before drug therapy, preference for CBT versus drug therapy, and preference for internet-based CBT versus face-to-face CBT. RESULTS Of the 600 respondents, 47.7% (286/600) indicated that they received CBT before drug therapy, and 57.2% (343/600) preferred CBT for insomnia to drug therapy. In addition, 47.0% (282/600) preferred internet-based CBT for insomnia to face-to-face CBT. Although the respondents with insomnia who were taking an insomnia medication had a relatively lower preference for internet-based CBT (40.5%, 81/200), the respondents with insomnia who were not taking an insomnia medication had a relatively higher preference for internet-based CBT (55.5%, 111/200). CONCLUSIONS The results of our online survey suggest that approximately half of the people queried preferred CBT for insomnia to drug therapy, and half of the respondents preferred internet-based CBT for insomnia to face-to-face CBT.

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Treating prolonged post-concussion symptoms in a pediatric patient with the simultaneous application of cognitive behavioral therapy and subthreshold exercise: A case study

Neurology ◽

10.1212/01.wnl.0000550602.50364.85 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 91 (23 Supplement 1) ◽

pp. S16.1-S16

Author(s):

Sonal Singh ◽

Douglas R. Polster ◽

Meeryo Choe ◽

Christopher Giza ◽

Talin Babikian

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Physical Exertion ◽

Rating Of Perceived Exertion ◽

Self Report ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Simultaneous Application ◽

Patient Reported

ObjectiveUse a novel, simultaneously applied cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and subthreshold exercise treatment (STE) for a 14-year old patient with persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) to facilitate a return to function in school/sport.BackgroundPatient sustained a mild TBI while playing basketball on October 29, 2016. Neurologic exam on July 7, 2017 was negative, but the patient reported PPCS, with a graded symptom checklist (GSC) score of 26. Primary symptoms were headache and anxiety in relation to cognitive and/or physical exertion. The patient attributed anxiety to anticipating the onset of symptoms after exercise.Design/methodsThe 6-week combined CBT/STE intervention included psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, and relaxation training combined with the STE protocol. Supervised physical exertion exposure began with aerobic exercise on a stationary bike and progressed to sport-specific activity while the patient simultaneously engaged in CBT. Pre- and post-intervention data included physiologic measures (heart rate [HR] and power output [PO] on exercise bike), a subjective measure of exertion (Borg's Rating of Perceived Exertion [RPE]), and psychological self-report questionnaires.ResultsAfter 6 sessions, patient was able to engage in strenuous exercise with reduced symptom exacerbation as demonstrated by his ability to reach 175 bpm HR with 350 watts of PO with decreased reported symptoms, a significant improvement from the first session. The patient reported a decrease in anxiety and psychological distress as well as an increase in emotional and school functioning. Parent report indicated an increase in the patient's overall health, social, and emotional functioning.ConclusionsEngaging in a six-week combined CBT/STE protocol resulted in improvements in ability to tolerate physical exertion, decreases in psychological distress, and a return to function. This case study demonstrated the feasibility & positive impact of simultaneous, dual treatment model for PPCS in adolescents. It also highlighted the need to address the psychological distress that occurs in patients with PPCS.

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An App-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program for Cancer Patients with Sleep Problems: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.17786 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Kyong-Mee Chung ◽

Yung Jae Suh ◽

Siyung Chin ◽

Eun-Seung Yu ◽

Hyun Jeong Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Attentional Bias ◽

Relaxation Training ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Self Report ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Control Group ◽

Therapy Program

UNSTRUCTURED Objective: To develop and evaluate an app-based cognitive behavioral therapy program for cancer patients with sleep problems. Method: Sixty participants who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to the app-based cognitive behavioral therapy program (HARUToday Sleep) (N = 15), an app-based attentional control program (HARUCard Sleep) (N = 15), or a waitlist control group (N = 15). HARUToday Sleep consists of 48 sessions separated into five zones (psycho-education, behavioral activation, relaxation training, cognitive restructuring, and problem solving). Each participant was required to complete one 10- to 15-minute session per day on weekdays for 10 weeks. In the HARUCard Sleep, participants received one card per day, which provided information about cancer, hobbies, and activities. Participants were evaluated before and after the completion of the program using self-report questionnaires and a dot-probe computer task that measured attentional bias. Results: The intensity of sleep problems decreased significantly after the intervention for the HARUToday Sleep group compared to the other two groups, whereas there were no significant changes in the quality of life score and the attentional bias scores of the patients. Conclusion: The HARUToday Sleep app may be an effective intervention for reducing sleep problems in cancer patients.

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Cognitive behavioral therapy in pharmacoresistant obsessive-compulsive disorder

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.01.484 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 33 (S1) ◽

pp. S203-S203 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J. Vyskocilova ◽

J. Prasko

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Somatoform Dissociation ◽

Therapy Program ◽

Subjective Form ◽

Competing Interest ◽

Intensive Group

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to determine whether patients with OCD resistant to drugs may improve using intensive, systematic CBT lasting six weeks and whether it is possible to predict the therapeutic effect using demographic, clinical and psychological characteristics at baseline.MethodThere were 66 patients included in the study. Fifty-seven patients completed the program. The diagnosis was confirmed by a structured interview MINI. Patient were rated before the treatment using Y-BOCS (objective and subjective form), CGI (objective and subjective form), BAI, BDI, DES (Dissociative Experiences Scale), SDQ 20 (Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire), and SDS (Sheehan Disability Scale), and at the end of the treatment using subjective Y-BOCS, objective and subjective CGI, BAI, and BDI. Patients were treated with antidepressants and daily intensive group cognitive behavioral therapy for the period of six weeks.ResultsDuring the 6-week intensive cognitive behavioral therapy program in combination with pharmacotherapy, there was a significant improvement in patients suffering from OCD formerly resistant to pharmacotherapy. There were statistically significant decreases in the scales assessing the severity of OCD symptoms, anxiety, and depressive feelings. The lower treatment effect was achieved specifically in patients who:– showed fewer OCD themes in symptomatology;– showed a higher level of somatoform dissociation;– with poor insight;– with a higher level of overall severity of the disorder in the beginning.The remission of the disorder was achieved more probably in patients with:– good insight;– the lower level of initial anxiety;– without comorbidity with the depressive disorder.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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