Thought dismissability in obsessive-compulsive disorder versus panic disorder

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) persistence is not fully understood.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated the cognitive mechanisms underlying OCD maintenance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the dismissibility of obsessional thoughts in individuals with OCD compared to panic-relevant thoughts in individuals with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PD/A).
• To identify cognitive mechanisms contributing to the persistence of OCD.

Main Methods:

• A thought replacement task was administered to 25 individuals with OCD and 25 with PD/A.
• Participants replaced target thoughts (obsessions for OCD group, panic-relevant thoughts for PD/A group) with neutral thoughts, noting thought occurrences.

Main Results:

• The OCD group reported more target thoughts and appraised their recurrence more negatively than the PD/A group.
• Mood declined in the OCD group, predicted by negative appraisal of thought recurrence, not thought frequency.
• Mood remained stable in the PD/A group.

Conclusions:

• Negative in vivo appraisal of obsessional thought recurrence appears to be a unique mechanism in OCD persistence.
• Targeting the appraisal of thought recurrences may be a crucial therapeutic strategy for treating OCD.