About this Research Topic

Background

For the last two decades or so, there has been a growing interest in the application of digital interventions for the psychotherapeutic treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The main advantage of these interventions is in improving patient access to efficacious forms of treatment such as exposure and response prevention (ERP) or cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) that includes ERP. Currently used forms of digital CBT for OCD include Internet-based CBT, videoconferencing-based CBT, and a number of other Internet-based interventions. Nearly all these interventions are helpful in treating OCD, but there are questions about their efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and implementation that need to be answered.

To evaluate the usefulness of digital forms of CBT in OCD, further research on their efficacy compared to in-person CBT is needed. This should ideally consist of well-designed randomized controlled trials. The delivery of digital CBT is another important consideration. Naturalistic trials in real-world settings are needed to examine the effectiveness of digital CBT and the factors that might have an impact on implementation and dissemination. The use of stepped-care approaches and hybrid treatment also needs to be evaluated.

Lastly, the utility of digital CBT in different patient populations, ethnic groups, and low-resource settings in less developed countries has to be explored with in-person CBT/ERP, or those comparing different digital CBT interventions. Descriptions of innovative interventions (for example, smartphone-based or virtual reality interventions) are also welcome. Naturalistic observational studies examining the implementation of digital CBT in routine treatment settings with elements such as cost-effectiveness, factors facilitating or hindering delivery of digital CBT, and patient-reported outcomes would also be included. Finally, studies on children/adolescents with OCD, ethnic populations, and studies from low-and-middle income countries would also be considered.

Keywords: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Digital interventions, Cognitive behavior therapy, Exposure & response prevention; Videoconferencing; Internet-based CBT; Computerized CBT

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