Adding acceptance and commitment therapy to exposure and response prevention for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Behavioral Therapy

Background:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating mental health condition.
• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a leading treatment for OCD.
• Integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) may enhance ERP's effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if combining ACT with ERP improves treatment acceptability, engagement, and completion rates for OCD.
• To compare the efficacy of ACT + ERP versus ERP alone in treating OCD symptoms.

Main Methods:

• A multisite randomized controlled trial involving 58 adults with OCD.
• Participants received 16 sessions of either ERP or ACT + ERP.
• Assessments included OCD symptoms, depression, psychological flexibility, and obsessional beliefs at multiple time points.

Main Results:

• Exposure engagement was high in both treatment groups.
• No significant differences were found in treatment acceptability, exposure engagement, or dropout rates between ACT + ERP and ERP.
• Both treatments led to significant reductions in OCD symptoms, depression, and psychological inflexibility, with sustained effects at follow-up.

Conclusions:

• ACT + ERP and ERP are both highly effective treatments for OCD.
• Integrating ACT with ERP did not yield superior outcomes compared to ERP alone regarding symptom reduction, acceptability, or engagement.