Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of comorbid Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Major Depression (2011)

Undergraduate: Lauren Landy

Faculty Advisor: Jonathan Abramowitz
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that is often comorbid with major depressive disorder (MDD). Although psychological treatments are effective for OCD, outcomes are hindered by the presence of MDD. In this study we developed and conducted an initial test of a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral treatment package that addresses both OCD symptoms and depression simultaneously for individuals with both OCD and depression. Eighteen adults with OCD and MDD received 16 sessions of treatment delivered twice-weekly (2 hours per session) over the course of eight weeks. CBT involved cognitive restructuring of both depressive and OCD-related cognitions, as well as exposure and response prevention specifically targeting obsessions and compulsions. Results at post-test indicated that most individuals experienced improvements in OCD and depressive symptoms, and that OCD symptom improvement was greater than that observed in previous studies examining outcome for depressed OCD patients. These findings are discussed in terms of possible treatment mechanisms, possible use of CBT along with medication for depressed OCD patients, and the importance of further testing the efficacy of this novel approach.