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Clinical Trial
. 2011 Aug 3:11:125.
doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-11-125.

Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder: a pilot study

Erik Andersson  1 , Brjánn Ljótsson, Erik Hedman, Viktor Kaldo, Björn Paxling, Gerhard Andersson, Nils Lindefors, Christian Rück
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder: a pilot study

Erik Andersson et al. BMC Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is widely regarded as an effective treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), but access to CBT therapists is limited. Internet-based CBT (ICBT) with therapist support is a way to increase access to CBT but has not been developed or tested for OCD. The aim of this study was to evaluate ICBT for OCD.

Method: An open trial where patients (N = 23) received a 15-week ICBT program with therapist support consisting of psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring and exposure with response prevention. The primary outcome was the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), which was assessed by a psychiatrist before and immediately after treatment. Secondary outcomes were self-rated measures of OCD symptoms, depressive symptoms, general functioning, anxiety and quality of life. All assessments were made at baseline and post-treatment.

Results: All participants completed the primary outcome measure at all assessment points. There were reductions in OCD symptoms with a large within-group effect size (Cohen's d = 1.56). At post-treatment, 61% of participants had a clinically significant improvement and 43% no longer fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of OCD. The treatment also resulted in statistically significant improvements in self-rated OCD symptoms, general functioning and depression.

Conclusions: ICBT with therapist support reduces OCD symptoms, depressive symptoms and improves general functioning. Randomized trials are needed to confirm the effectiveness of this new treatment format.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01348529.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Means and 95% confidence intervals of weekly OCD symptoms using OCI-R.
Figure 3
Figure 3
CGI improvements.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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