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Thought control strategies in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a replication and extension
J S Abramowitz1, S Whiteside, S A Kalsy
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. abromowitz.jonathan@mayo.edu
Behaviour Research and Therapy
|April 25, 2003
Summary
Individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) often use maladaptive thought control strategies like worry and punishment. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps OCD patients use more distraction and less punishment.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Background:
- Previous research indicates individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) employ maladaptive thought control strategies.
- These strategies often include worry and self-punishment to manage intrusive thoughts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare thought control strategies between OCD patients, anxious controls, and non-anxious controls.
- To examine changes in thought control strategies among OCD patients undergoing cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
Main Methods:
- Replication and extension of prior findings on OCD thought control.
- Comparison of strategy use across patient and control groups.
- Assessment of strategy changes pre- and post-CBT for OCD patients.
Main Results:
- OCD patients reported higher use of worry and punishment strategies compared to control groups.
- OCD patients used distraction strategies less frequently than controls.
- Successful CBT resulted in increased distraction and decreased punishment strategy use in OCD patients.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the cognitive model of OCD, highlighting the role of thought control strategies.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy appears effective in modifying maladaptive thought control mechanisms in OCD.
- Changes in thought control strategies are associated with treatment success in OCD.