ABSTRACT
Alongside concern about the physical health impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, public health officials have also raised concerns about the potential for massive mental health impact. This has led many to wonder, how are individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and especially those with contamination fears, doing in the era of COVID-19? We present data from eight patients in our residential treatment program for OCD who were admitted prior to any COVID-19 restrictions and continued in treatment at the facility during the pandemic. Much like the general population, our patients varied in the ways they were impacted by COVID-19, yet the majority experienced improvements in OCD symptoms despite the context. This is not to downplay the many ways in which our patients were personally affected by COVID-19. Rather our patients' relatively resilient responses mirror our program's treatment model, which emphasizes exposure and response prevention (ERP) within the complementary framework of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). The intention of this article is to challenge the notion that by definition this population will fare worse than the general public or that ERP cannot proceed effectively during this time. In contrast, we underscore that effective OCD treatment can and should continue in the era of COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
The article briefs about the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on patients suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders. The intention of this article was to offer some core constructs to reflect upon when considering adjustments to the implementation of exposure and response prevention (ERP), amidst the current pandemic. Although we do not yet have data that provides evidence for the efficacy of these adjustments under these circumstances, we considered the state of the science in making these suggestions, and consider them highly likely to preserve treatment integrity. The COVID-19 crisis is perhaps irrevocably changing the way that we live our lives. The OCD treatment community does a service to its patients by modeling flexible adaptation to the circumstances. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)