Mindfulness-based exposure and response prevention for obsessive compulsive disorder: study protocol for a pilot...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Behavioral Therapy

Background:

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects 1-2% of the population, causing significant distress.
• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is an effective OCD therapy, but many patients do not recover.
• High dropout rates and poor engagement with ERP tasks contribute to treatment failure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot a mindfulness-based ERP (MB-ERP) intervention.
• To establish parameters for a definitive randomized controlled trial.
• To assess the feasibility of MB-ERP in improving OCD treatment outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Pilot randomized controlled trial comparing 10-session ERP with 10-session MB-ERP.
• Forty participants diagnosed with OCD were randomly allocated to either group.
• Primary outcomes included OCD symptom severity and therapy engagement; secondary outcomes included depressive symptoms, wellbeing, and beliefs.

Main Results:

• This pilot study aims to gather preliminary data on the effectiveness of MB-ERP.
• Results will guide the design and power calculations for a definitive trial.
• The study will explore change processes through semi-structured interviews.

Conclusions:

• Findings will inform future research on mindfulness-based interventions for OCD.
• If preliminary results favor MB-ERP, funding for a definitive trial will be pursued.
• This research has the potential to improve outcomes for individuals with OCD.