Cognitive Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

Abstract The cornerstone of cognitive therapy (CT) for OCD is based upon the knowledge that unwanted intrusions are essentially a universal experience. Therefore, it is not the presence of the intrusion that is problematic, but rather the associated meaning or interpretation of the intrusion. Treatment is flexible, depending upon the nature of the appraisals and beliefs, but it can include strategies focused on targeting inflated responsibility and overestimation of threat, importance and control of thoughts, and the need for perfectionism and certainty. The role of concealment and the relationship to personal values are important maintaining and etiological factors. Short- and long-term treatment outcomes are reviewed, along with predictors of treatment response and mechanisms of action, and the discussion concludes with future directions for CT for OCD.