Emotion-focused therapy for women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a randomized clinical controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a debilitating condition, affecting women of reproductive age. It is characterized by severe periodic physical and psychological symptoms, which end after the onset of menstruation. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) for PMDD patients. METHODS: A total of 48 PMDD women, in the age range of 18-44 years, were randomly assigned to two intervention and control groups. The intervention group participated in 16 weeks of EFT treatment, while the control group was selected based on the waiting list (waitlist control group) and followed-up after three months. Forty-four patients finally completed this study. The participants completed the Premenstrual Syndrome Screening Tool (PSST), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) in the first premenstrual period before treatment, the first premenstrual period after treatment, and the premenstrual period three months after treatment. RESULTS: Based on the repeated measure analysis of variances, the total score of DERS and the total score of PSST decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Also, in DASS-21, the scores of depression and stress subscales reduced significantly (P < 0.05), while there was no significant decrease in the score of anxiety subscale (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Based on the present results, EFT can be an effective treatment for alleviating the symptoms of PMDD. This treatment can reduce the emotion regulation difficulties of women with PMDD and alleviate the symptoms of depression and stress. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials, IRCT ID: IRCT20220920055998N1, Registered on: 12/2/2023.

The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy in treating a case of obsessive compulsive disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in treating obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). METHOD: In a single-subject experiment trial, the treatment process was carried out on a 39-year old male subject. The patient satisfied the DSM-IV-TR criteria for OCD and was assessed for pre-duration and post treatment. The scales used in this study included: The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale(Y-BOCS), Beck Depression Inventory-II-second edition (BDI-II), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). In addition, all scales were again completed by the subject at 1-month, 3-months, and 6-months follow-ups. RESULTS: The treatment led to reductions in symptoms of OCD, depression and anxiety. Gains were maintained at follow-ups. CONCLUSION: The treatment approach appears to be effective in the treatment of OCD.