Obsessional slowness: a case study

Obsessional slowness is a rare psychiatric disorder with few treatment options and limited research to date. Some suggest that targeted behavioural interventions may reduce the time taken for functional daily activities.

To examine whether a behavioural intervention would reduce the amount of time taken for an adolescent with obsessional slowness to walk to class.

A single-subject A-B-A withdrawal design was incorporated into this case study. The treatment involved one-to-one pacing and prompting during the subject's walk to gym class. Walking times to gym class were measured during a baseline phase, during a one-month treatment phase, and during a post-treatment follow-up phase.

The subject's walking times decreased during the treatment phase. Post-treatment walking times suggested a carry-over effect.

This study adds to the sparse evidence on treatments for obsessional slowness and suggests occupation-based treatment options.